Heartbreak & Sunshine
by Tamia Rose
Summary: Everything seems to be going downhill for Tea when she moves to the city to start a new life; But when she is forced to seek employment in the most unlikely of places will things take a turn for the worse or will she finally have a happy ending.TEAKAIBA
1. Rain cloud

Chapter one: 

Rain cloud

* * *

Friday

1.00am

Tea was exhausted. Tired and completely withdrawn. She plumped herself onto the not so comfortable couch in the corner of her new apartment, sighing heavily as she landed. Her head was a web of frustration and anger.

She listened to the rain falling outside as she stared up at the ceiling, letting her purse slip lazily out of her fingers.

_I can't believe that asshole!_

Her thoughts wandered back to the restaurant and her arrogant bastard of a boss.

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

12:30am

Her night shift was coming to a close and she was getting ready to leave when she was confronted by Mr. Warren himself. He seemed a little less coordinated than usual with a slight look of perversion in his eyes. Tea didn't think too much on it giving him the benefit of the doubt. She greeted him with a polite smile, the same one she always flashed when dealing with her superiors- Courteous and Professional.

"Yes Mr. Warren? Is something wrong"?

"No, everything's fine, I just wanted to ask you something Tea"

His voice was low and he was looking down at her with a mischievous grin. Tea, being slightly unnerved by his tone stepped back a little, only to feel the cold wall pressing into her back. "Sir I…."

Before she had any time to respond he was grabbing her shoulders and pulling her toward him.

"What are you doing? Let go of me"

The fear in her voice only seemed to make things worse as his grin turned into a smile.

"Come on Tea, - don't even try to pretend that you don't want it -I've seen the way you look at me"

"What are you talking about? Are you crazy? Let go of me now!"

It was pretty clear by now that he was drunk and Tea decided to deal with the situation as calmly as possible. Even though he was a jerk she couldn't afford to lose her job. He lowered his mouth to her ear so that his voice was barely over a whisper.

"You wanna play games baby, okay, but I know you want me as much as I want you."

"Mr. Warren you're drunk please just think about what you're doing"

When he didn't stop Tea realized that it was no use trying to talk any sense into him.

Just then one of the other employees walked into the room. Just as fast as he had grabbed her before he loosened his grip on her shoulders.

Clearing his throat he stepped away from her and turned to face the obviously surprised young man standing in the doorway. The young man looked almost too nervous to speak.

Tea however didn't stick around long enough to hear what he had to say. She snatched her purse from the locker behind her, tears welling up in her eyes. She gave her boss a cold look and stormed out of the room not even bothering to look at the other young man. As she walked out into the alley at the back of the small town restaurant she let out a shaky breath. Clutching her arms tightly, the tears finally started to flow down her flushed cheeks. The world seemed to be closing in on her-Fast. Everything in her life was going down hill. She walked briskly out into the cold street feeling the first cold splashes of a light drizzle. Her mind was in a haze thinking about how on earth she was going to find another job before her next rent was due. She wondered why her life had to be in such a mess and why her parents had to be gone. They were the only ones she had in the world that she could truly turn to. Now she had no one. As the rain started its down pour so too did her tears as she ran to the taxi she had managed to flag down only seconds before.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

* * *

Tea sat up on the couch, her eyes still damp from all of her crying. She needed some distraction. Her mind started to wander again but this time it was Yami that filled her thoughts. She hadn't spoken to him since they broke up last summer about two weeks before she moved to the city. She missed him so much. When her parents died he was the only one who truly cared, he stuck with her through all of her difficult times. How did things go so wrong? She needed him more than she needed anything else. But it was no use thinking about him, he was out of her life and he wasn't coming back. She would just have to deal with her sorrow and pick herself up no matter how impossible it seemed.

Tea stood up from the couch and put her hand to her head. The room seemed to be spinning as she walked over to her small bedroom. She knew Mr. Warren wouldn't leave what happened between them alone. She always had suspicions about the way he felt about her but never cared enough to bother. Now that he had made his intentions perfectly clear she knew that he was stubborn enough to try to get her to come back to work. But there was no way that she was going back to that restaurant. She didn't actually say that she was leaving but the manner in which she had stormed out should have sent the message loud and clear.

After a long shower trying to clear her overloaded brain Tea headed over to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of hot chocolate. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall in the living room. It was already 1:35am.

She curled up on the couch again and hit the power button on the T.V remote. There was nothing good on as usual. She couldn't seem to calm down. She felt the tears burning the back of her eyes again as she tried to concentrate on an unfamiliar horror movie. They ran down her face as she finished her hot chocolate. By the time she was finished the rain had shown no sign of stopping. She decided to call it a night and head to bed. She climbed in between the covers feeling lonely and frustrated. She would have to search for a new job in the morning- Losing her apartment was not an option right now. She sighed as she hugged her pillow, letting the sound of the rain lull her to sleep.

* * *

Saturday Morning

8.20am

Tea was already up. Coffee in hand and the morning paper laid out on the kitchen table in front of her. She was busy searching the classifieds for an available job position when she was startled by the ring of her cell phone. She took it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

"Tea? Uh …"

Tea recognized the voice straight away

"Mr. Warren?

She made no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice- a bitterness he obviously recognized.

"Look Tea Just Listen to me…."

He obviously sobered up from last night. He sounded level headed and just a little bit rattled.

Tea however couldn't care less. She didn't give him time to finish his sentence.

"You have some nerve calling me after what you did last night"

"Look I was drunk alright I just wanted to apologize"

"Apologize? You must take me for some kind of fool-You expect me to accept your apology and just stroll back to work on Monday like nothing happened!"

"Nothing did happen Tea; I don't know what came over me last night, look I can't help that I'm attracted to you"

Tea wasn't expecting him to say that last part. Most girls at the restaurant would kill to hear those words from him .She didn't know why though, sure he was cute but he was also arrogant, disrespectful and pigheaded. Funny how that description sounded like one fit for Seto Kaiba.

Tea pushed her thoughts aside.

_Why the hell did she suddenly think about Kaiba just now?_

_Weird._

"Mr. Warren I can't overlook what happened last night and I'd appreciate it if you don't call here again."

"Tea wait, please"

"I have nothing to say to you Mr. Warren"

"Alright have it your way then…"His ego must have been hurt as his arrogance resurfaced immediately.

"Okay, I tried being nice to you bitch but you just blew your chances - and by the way you didn't quit you're fired."

Tea opened her mouth to speak but with that he hung up. The nerve of that guy. She felt as though she had just been slapped in the face. She stared at the cell phone in her hand still not believing what an asshole Mr. Warren really was. She couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful that she left. She shook her head slightly as she stuffed the phone back into her pocket.

She finished drinking her coffee as she circled the last of the job openings that she might be interested in. As she put the coffee cup onto the counter she decided to head over to the super market to get a few things. Her refrigerator was practically empty. And besides, she needed some fresh air anyway-she was starting to feel stifled again.

Sighing heavily she grabbed her apartment keys and proceeded out the door, still wondering why Seto Kaiba of all people had unexpectedly pushed his way into her thoughts.


	2. Contempt

Chapter two: 

Contempt

* * *

Much unlike the night before, the weather was clear and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. 

Tea drummed her fingers on the checking counter as she waited for the cashier to cash her things. She fished in her purse and found some lose bills at the bottom. The young woman looked at her as if she was from another planet -planet pathetic. Tea had so much on her mind she didn't even have the strength to give a damn. She took the small bag from the counter and handed her money to the woman. She walked out of the supermarket glad to have the sun hit her face. All she needed to do now was to get a cab and head back to her apartment to make a few phone calls. She started walking toward the street wishing that she had a car. Just then she caught a glimpse of a familiar face walking into a fancy looking building next to the supermarket_. Was that Kaiba? It couldn't be. _She didn't see him since that last Dueling championship back home.

She shrugged off the thought as she spotted a cab heading her way. Before she could make another step however she heard someone calling her name. It sounded like a kid. Confused, she spun around in the direction of the voice the strong wind whipping her hair over her eyes as she did.

As she parted the lose strands away her suspicions were soon made very clear.

"Mokuba?"

Mokuba was running toward her with an over zealous smile on his face. He was so different to his jerk of a brother- practical opposite. She was glad that it was him she ran into and not Seto.

"Tea it's really you!"

By the way he sounded you would think that she was a celebrity.

Tea greeted him with a warm smile. She was glad to see someone from back home.

"Hey Mokuba Long time no see"

"Likewise"

"What are you doing around here?"

"Oh, my brother has some business to take care of, you know Seto"

"Still the workaholic I see."

Mokuba sighed helplessly as he looked up at Tea. She was still taller than he was but he had grown a bit from the last time she saw him.

"So you live here in the city now?"

"Yep I have an apartment not too far from here"

Mentioning her apartment seemed to open the depression floodgates again. She could very well end up having to move back in with her uncle if she didn't find a job soon. Although being homeless sounded more appealing. She and her uncle didn't have the best of relationships.

"Wow that's so awesome."

Tea smiled. She enjoyed talking to Mokuba; his warm smile seemed to take her mind off of all her frustrations.

"So do you work here in the city too?"

Tea clenched her bag of groceries more tightly as the thought of her former boss slipped right back into her mind.

"Well actually I'm kind of searching for one right now."

Mokuba looked like he had been handed a blessing from heaven- not quite the kind of response she was expecting.

"Are you serious?"

Tea couldn't help but be amused as well as surprised by his words. He actually sounded sort of glad that she was job hunting.

She giggled a little before she spoke deciding that he was just a kid.

"Hey that's not funny Mokuba. It's not easy being unemployed."

"No I don't mean it like that Tea, it's just that Seto has needed a Secretary for some time now but he hadn't found the time to put out a vacancy add."

Tea felt nervous all of a sudden. The thought of working for Kaiba was like being sentenced to a torture chamber. The idea was so absurd it was even laughable.

"I hope you're not suggesting that _I_ fill that vacancy"

"Well, you said that you were looking for a job right?"

"…Well yeah but…"

"So my brothers vacancy would be perfect for you, it's not like you two are strangers or anything"

"Mokuba, Kaiba and I don't exactly get along very well-in fact the only person that he seems to get along with is you."

Mokuba smiled; clearly amused at her flustered excuses. He was more than aware of his brother's effect on people.

"Yea I know Seto can be a little strict sometimes but I'm sure you two will get along just fine-all you need to do is do whatever he says and it's smooth sailing."

Tea considered what he was saying seriously for a moment. She knew she was backed into a corner and she didn't have a lot of options.

If only it was someone else and not the king of jerks. She honestly didn't know what to do, she needed the job but the thought of being around Seto Kaiba all day was enough to make anyone bolt; at least anyone who wasn't a member of his 'fan club' that is.

Tea sighed as she stared down at Mokuba's innocent face. She was just about ready to reply when a familiar voice rudely pierced its way between them.

"Well, well, if it isn't Tea Gardner."

Tea reluctantly turned around to face the annoyingly arrogant Seto Kaiba who was standing right behind her. Tea's breath caught in her throat as the sight of him took her by surprise. Was it even remotely possible for someone to look so unbelievably hot? Obviously for him it was possible. He was wearing a sharp blue business suit and holding a black leather briefcase in his hand. She noticed that his shirt was unbuttoned at the neck -A dangerously sexy look for him. His chestnut brown hair contrasted perfectly with his ocean blue eyes sending her heart into a double summersault.

Tea could have slapped herself for reacting so favorably to the way he looked. Luckily she wasn't one to let the inner workings of her mind to show on the outside. The last thing she needed right now was for Kaiba to think that she was attracted to him. Lord knows his ego was big enough.

"Why Seto Kaiba what a pleasure."

Tea made no attempt to hide her sarcasm and was not at all surprised when the smirk on his face didn't fade. She knew him long enough to know that words had no effect on him.

"What are you doing here Gardner? Last time I saw you, you were cheering your boyfriend on at the Battle City tournament"

"For your information I live around here."

"So you and the twerp have a place together? How sweet"

Tea felt a sharp pain knife through her heart as she thought of Yami.

"Well actually no, I have a single apartment."

"You mean you actually live on your own, Humph impressive Gardner But isn't that a little dangerous."

"What do you care?"

"Actually I don't"

"Well that's to be expected I doubt there's anything but ice in your veins"

Mokuba, noticing the conversation heading downhill, decided to intervene.

"Um, Seto, Tea was just telling me that she needed a job and…"

Tea could have sunk into the ground.

"Uh Mokuba…"she tried to cut Mokuba off before he suggested anything but Kaiba was too quick for her.

"A job? What's this Gardner using my poor little brother as a way to get a position in my company? And I thought you were a straight arrow."

Tea looked at Kaiba with a disgusted look on her face.

"That's not what I was doing you jerk"

"Now, now there's no need to resort to name calling."

Tea's frustration was rising again. How in the world was he able to get under her skin the way he did without even making a damn effort?

There was no way that she was going to take that vacancy, not even for Mokuba. Being around Kaiba too often couldn't be too good for your health. At least not for hers.

Sighing Tea switched her attention back to Mokuba, completely ignoring Kaiba.

"Look I'll see you around Mokuba, I have to go- I'm sure you'll find someone with a strong enough stomach to fill that vacancy."

"What's the matter Gardner afraid of working for me?"

He was trying to bait her but it wasn't going to work. She had had enough of his arrogance for one day.

"Bye Mokuba."

Tea didn't even bother to answer Kaiba. She only gave him a cold stare and started heading in the opposite direction. Mokuba knew when Tea was Serious and he could tell that she was dead serious about not wanting to work for his brother.

Kaiba scuffed as he watched Tea turn away feeling annoyed and a bit surprised. Not surprised at her reaction but surprised that he actually felt some semblance of concern for her. For some reason he didn't like the idea of Tea being all alone in a big city with no place to turn too for a job. What the heck was going on inside his head? It must be the heat.

Without a moments hesitation he started heading back toward the limo deciding it was best to just forget about the matter all together. Mokuba however was still staring at Tea, a worried expression written on his face.

"Mokuba, come on lets go." Kaiba was already checking his watch and walking briskly toward the limo when Mokuba caught up with him.

"Seto, don't you think you should try to convince her to take the job?"

Kaiba continued walking without so much as glancing at his brother.

"Why? It's not my problem, besides she'd annoy the heck out of me"

"Come on big brother, please, it wouldn't be right not to help her and you know she'd be perfect for the job anyway."

Kaiba finally looked down at his brother as they stood beside the limo. Mokuba was staring up at him with those all too familiar puppy dog eyes. Kaiba sighed heavily, knowing all too well that sooner or later he would cave.

"Please Seto, at least try to convince her"

Kaiba looked back in Tea's direction; she was just about to get into the back seat of a cab. He sighed again as he watched her get in and close the door.

"Fine, I'll try to convince her, but the minute she starts to annoy me she's gone got it."

Mokuba beamed as he looked up at his brother, a smile spreading over his face.

"Thanks big brother."

Kaiba rolled his eyes as they got into the limo a sinking feeling creeping into his stomach.


	3. Red tape and hot chocolate

Chapter three: 

Red tape and hot chocolate

* * *

Tea opened the door to her apartment feeling a little more angry than depressed. She slammed the door shut with her foot and headed to the kitchen to put away the stuff she had bought at the supermarket. She looked at the clock .It was 10.00am. The paper she was going through earlier that morning was still sprawled out on the counter. After putting everything away she took another look at the vacancies she had circled. Just then there was a knock on her door. 

_Who on earth could that be?_

A little surprised, she walked to the door. Just to be on the safe side she opened the peep hole and peered into it.

She couldn't believe her eyes .The anger that had died down a few minutes ago started bubbling right back up to the surface again. She swung the door open and found herself staring at Kaiba. She made sure that Mokuba was no where in sight before opening her mouth to speak.

"What the hell are you doing here Kaiba?"

"Is that any way to greet a friend?"

"We're not friends."

Kaiba was starting to get impatient. He was a busy man after all.

Sighing he stepped in a little closer to the doorway.

"Look, are you going to let me in or not."

Tea couldn't stand him but she wasn't one to be impolite. She stepped aside so that he could come in.

She closed the door and watched as he surveyed the small living room with his arms folded. He looked like he was in the real estate business. She didn't expect him to say anything nice about her place seeing that he was one of the richest guys on the planet. Her entire apartment must have looked like cheap storage space to him.

Tea also folded her arms as she put her back against the door. She was staring at him with an accusing look.

"Now can I ask what this is all about? And by the way, how do you even know where I live?"

Kaiba turned to face her.

_God why did he have to be so incredibly hot?_ She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy with him standing in her living room staring at her like that.

"I followed you." he said simply.

"You followed me?"

"It was Mokuba's idea."

"Well I guess that makes it okay then."

Her sarcasm didn't bother Kaiba in the slightest; He enjoyed seeing her work herself up way too much to be bothered by any of the things she said to him.

Kaiba shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked at her. It wasn't something that he would ever admit to anyone but he had always found Tea to be extremely attractive. She looked so cute standing there with that pout on her lips.

Pulling himself out of his stupor he decided to get to the point of him coming to see her.

"Look Gardner I came to offer you the position you and Mokuba were discussing earlier."

"Oh you mean the honorable position of being your own personal slave."

Kaiba's patience had just about run out, he promised Mokuba that he would help her but he wasn't willing to take any of her lip.

"Just cut the bullshit Gardner, you want the job or not? I wouldn't have wasted my time to come up here if I knew you would be this difficult to deal with. Without a job in this city you might as well be living on the streets. I'm just doing you a favor here. So it's pretty much up to you; take it or leave it."

Tea didn't say anything. She knew when she was boxed in and she wasn't too stubborn to admit it. He was right; she needed this job if she wanted to keep her apartment. And more importantly, if she wanted to stay away from her uncle.

Kaiba watched as she pondered his words and by the look on her face he knew he had won. She finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Fine I'll take it."

"Took you long enough."

He walked over to her, another one of his trademark smirks puling over his lips.

"You'll have to sign a few things before you start though. I'll come and drop the forms off tomorrow, you start Monday morning at 8.00am but I'll fill you in a little more tomorrow."

She knew that smug smirk meant that he was glad that he had an edge over her but she decided to keep her mouth shut about it. Bottom line she was grateful to him and that was all that mattered at the moment. He looked pretty smug leaving her apartment that morning and if she knew anything about Kaiba he was going to rub this situation in her face every chance that he got.

Tea spent the rest of the day cleaning her apartment and trying to clear her thoughts. At least she didn't have to worry about finding a job anymore.

That night while getting ready to go to bed she couldn't help but think of Yami. She wasn't too pleased about it but she knew she was still pretty hung up on him. How could he have changed so drastically? He had hurt her so badly, but her feelings never seemed to go away. She pulled the covers up to her chin wishing she could see him again.

Sunday 7.00am

Tea was in the shower enjoying the soothing feel of the water soaking through her hair when there was a loud knock on the door. _What the hell?_

She hurriedly pulled on her pink robe and stepped out of the bathroom. With her hair still dripping wet she headed to the door to see who was at her door at such an ungodly hour. Once again she peered into the peep hole and once again she was annoyed to see who was standing there.

She hesitated, making sure that her robe was properly wrapped around her body. When she opened the door Kaiba's heart skipped a beat, he wasn't expecting her to be dripping wet with nothing but a robe between her and her bare skin. She looked super sexy. Luckily he wasn't the kind of guy to let his feelings show or he'd practically be drooling.

"Kaiba, it's 7.00 in the morning."

"I specifically remember telling you that I was coming back today to drop off the paper work Gardner, what are you suffering from short term memory loss?"

"I knew you were coming back but I didn't think you meant at the crack of dawn."

"I keep early hours and I thought I'd give you a taste of what it means to be working for me. This is your first lesson. Always expect the unexpected."

Sighing tea stepped aside to let him in. She closed the door and gestured for him to have a seat on the couch.

Looking extremely irritated she started heading to the bedroom.

"Just give me a minute."

She locked the door behind her so that he couldn't see into the room. Kaiba tried his best to push his suddenly perverted imagination aside as he watched her disappear behind her bedroom door. When she came back into the living room she was wearing a short blue skirt and a simple white t-shirt with a picture of three puppies on the front. He noted that her hair was still damp but she had pulled it back into a pony tail. He had to scold himself before his thoughts went wild again.

"Can I get you something?"

"You got anything hot?" _besides you_

What the hell was wrong with him today? He needed to pull himself together before he said something he wasn't supposed to.

"How about some hot chocolate?"

"That's fine I guess."

She headed into the kitchen to fix him a cup as he took the time to look around. He noticed a picture of her and her parents which was obviously taken a long time ago-Tea didn't look much older than ten years old in it.

After a few minutes she emerged from the kitchen holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate. She handed it to him feeling a bit awkward serving him as if they were more than what they actually were.

She watched him take the first sip. He looked different today, much more casual. He was wearing a black short sleeved shirt with a pair of blue jeans. Talk about hot.

He noticed her staring at him when he lowered the cup to rest it onto the table in front of him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh, oh no nothings wrong."

"Whatever, let's just get this over with."

He opened his briefcase and took out a few sheets of important looking documents. He handed them to her and pulled a pen out of his pocket.

"Make sure you understand everything you read before you sign, if you have any questions just ask-and try to make it snappy."

Tea flipped through the papers. There had to be about five sheets in the entire wad.

"I didn't know working for you would be so complicated."

He handed her the pen he was holding.

"This is Kaiba corp. you're talking about not some piece of shit small town organization-get used to the bureaucracy."

She shook her head and took a seat next to him. Kaiba couldn't help but feel kind of weird sitting so close to her and not in a bad way. She smelled like vanilla and soap, intoxicatingly innocent; an innocence that seemed to be driving him insane. He didn't like feeling this way, not one bit; it was against everything that he was. And he definitely wasn't the mushy misty eyed type of guy. He decided to take his mind off her.

"You mind if I put on the T.V while you take your sweet time reading that thing."

"Oh no go ahead."

Tea didn't even look up; she was too busy concentrating on the forms in front of her.

Kaiba reached for the remote that was sitting on the table. He switched the T.V on and immediately started flipping through the channels searching for something that might grab his attention.

Why did it feel so damn good sitting with her like this?

He was becoming pretty annoyed with himself by now. The T.V was obviously not helping his situation. He decided to strike up a conversation instead.

"So why'd you decide to move to the city Gardner?"

The question shook her back into a not so pleasant memory, one that she wasn't willing to share with him or anyone else.

When she hesitated he turned to look at her. She was still staring down at the papers but her expression had changed a bit. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed but Kaiba was an expert at reading faces and she was definitely trying to hide something.

"..I just wanted a change in my life that's all."

He sensed that she was telling the truth but there was something about the way she said it that made him feel that there was a piece of her explanation that was missing.

He decided to let her off the hook and keep his mouth shut from then on. Instead, he concentrated on finishing his surprisingly delicious hot chocolate.

By the time he had drained the last of it Tea was on the last page.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Tea looked up from the paper confused.

"Who could that be?"

"Maybe it's your lover boy Yami."

Tea flashed a sarcastic smile at Kaiba as she got up to answer the door. He obviously didn't know that she and Yami were no longer a couple.

When she peered into the peephole what she saw almost made her want to faint. She couldn't believe her eyes. _Oh my god it is Yami!_ Tea put her hand to her chest in astonishment._ What is he doing here?_

She took a few deep breaths and summed up her courage. She cautiously opened the door. She stared up at him through slightly nervous eyes.

"Yami?"


	4. What are you doing here?

_Thanks so much for all your reviews! Now here's chapter four as promised, Please enjoy  
_

Chapter four: 

"What are you doing here?"

* * *

Tea had to hold on to the door to keep from keeling over. Yami looked just as good as she remembered him. 

He waited for her to let him in. Tea had to pull herself out of the trance she had just slipped into in order to respond without making a fool of herself.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you going to invite me inside first?"

"Actually no I want to know what you want Yami."

"Look, Tea I just need to talk to you okay."

Despite what he had done to her before, part of her heart still wanted him; and seeing him standing outside her door only made it harder to push her feelings away.

She hesitated for a moment but eventually gave in. As he stepped into the doorway he kept his eyes locked onto hers. Tea felt the familiar butterflies return to her stomach as she dragged her eyes away, too afraid to let her true feelings show.

He walked further into the apartment and straight into the living room only to be faced with the last person in the world he was expecting to be sitting on Tea's couch. Kaiba on the other hand wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Yami.

Yami stared at Kaiba as if he was a piece of furniture that was horribly mismatched.

"Kaiba?"

"Well if it isn't the king of games himself."

Tea suddenly appeared at Yami's side. Kaiba couldn't help feeling a little bit angry at the sight of the two of them standing next to each other.

Yami looked down at Tea who was looking a bit nervous.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

Kaiba was confused by his reaction. Didn't Tea tell him about the Job at his company? He was her boyfriend after all. Wasn't he?

He'd have thought that Yami would be the first one to hear about her new job at Kaiba Corp.

He was definitely missing something. He looked at Tea. Why was she looking so worried?

"Well actually it has to do with a job opening at Kaiba Corp. …and…"

"Did I hear you right? Did you say a job? At _his_ company?

"Look can you just go wait in the kitchen for me? I'll explain everything in a minute."

Yami stared at Kaiba with a hate filled expression and Kaiba wasn't exactly trying to hide his look of disdain either. You'd swear the two of them were fighting over her. After some hesitation Yami finally gave in and headed to the kitchen leaving Tea alone with Kaiba.

Kaiba leaned back against the couch making himself more comfortable as he stared up at Tea.

"Am I missing something here Gardner? Why didn't you tell him about the spot I'm giving you at Kaiba Corp? Now you got him thinking that I'm sleeping with you or something." Although for some reason Kaiba didn't mind Yami getting that impression.

"What the hell are you talking about? Yami and I broke up about six months ago. He just showed up at my door just now."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"Well now I know for sure he thinks I'm sleeping with you."

"Would you stop saying that"

Kaiba watched her as she took up the last sheet of paper that she hadn't read yet and sat down again to skim through the contents. Her only goal at the moment was to get Kaiba out of her apartment before he caused any more trouble with Yami. Kaiba knew something was wrong as he looked at her. She was trying to get rid of him as soon as possible but for some reason he didn't want to leave her alone with Yami.

He wanted to ask her what happened between them but decided that it was better not to. He didn't want to upset her any more than she obviously was. Why he was being so nice was beyond him. She seemed to be having an effect on him and not a favorable one at that, at least not for him.

He decided that the best thing to do was to leave, despite how he felt about Yami. He concluded that he was just being paranoid about the whole situation.

When Tea was finished signing all of the documents she handed them back to Kaiba, who was already on his feet.

He put them back into his briefcase.

"Okay Gardner remember, Work starts at 8:00am sharp. You should know I run a pretty tight shift so be prepared to work your ass off. You'll be working directly under me so if you run into any problems come to me and no one else got it?"

Tea nodded, feeling a bit intimidated by Kaiba's business side.

She walked with him to the door. As he reached out in the hall way he turned to face her again.

"Do you want me to organize a limo to pick you up tomorrow morning?"

"A limo? No, that's okay. I'll take the bus."

"Gardner it's just a ride would you relax."

"Okay fine."

"Good, that way you won't be late."

Tea flashed a small smile at him, making his heart skip a beat. What the crap was going on with him? He definitely needed to get out of there.

Before he left he caught a glimpse of Yami standing in the living room. His arms were folded and he was staring at Kaiba looking more than a little annoyed. Reluctantly Kaiba left, feeling just as annoyed as Yami looked. Tea closed the door after making sure he was gone. She wasn't too keen on talking to Yami now. In her current state of mind she was vulnerable to him.

"Tea is something going on between you and Kaiba?"

She walked over to him but made sure to keep a safe distance. If he were to touch her he would have too much power over her judgment.

"No, of coarse not, I told you it has to do with his company, that's the reason he was here. I needed a job and he had an opening so he offered it to me."

"He offered you a spot in his company? Since when was he so fond of you?"

"He's not fond of me; he's just doing me a favor."

"A favor huh, did you ever stop to think about why. He obviously wants something from you in return and I have a good idea what."

Tea couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kaiba was a lot of things but sleazy wasn't one of them.

"You can't be suggesting that he wants to get me in bed?"

"Why not, I wouldn't put anything past that conceited asshole."

Tea realized that they were getting off the main subject which was why he was actually standing in her apartment as if they were still an item.

"Yami, why are you even here."

With those words Yami's expression changed instantly.

"Tea you never gave me a chance to apologize for what happened."

"Yami I don't want an apology, you knew exactly what you were doing. If you really cared about my feelings you wouldn't have done it in the first place."

He saw the pain in her eyes as she said it. He came over to her and reached for her face but she jerked away from his hand.

When she spoke her voice was barely over a whisper.

"Don't…please."

Tea looked like she was on the verge of tears. Yami knew he had hurt her before but he had no idea that even after all this time she was still hurting, still obviously in pain by what he had done.

"Tea please don't be like this" He was too fast for her this time. He grabbed her upper arms and gently pulled her toward him. He stroked the side of her face with one of his hands still holding her with the other. She tried to look away but his eyes were like magnets, drawing her to him. How could he have so much power over her, how could he make her want him so badly-even after he broke her heart. Why was she so hopelessly weak?

"Tea accept my apology; don't shut me out of your life forever."

"Why are you doing this to me? I… I loved you once and you betrayed that Yami. I can't just accept you back into my life. Please understand."

"I know you loved me once and I know you still do."

"Yami it's over between us and I don't understand why after all this time you just decide to waltz your way back into my life-It doesn't make any sense."

"Tea after you left for the city I was devastated. I knew I had let you slip from my fingers. I wanted you back in my life but I knew you wouldn't forgive me. I thought that if I gave you some space and some time to calm down you'd be willing to forgive me and…"

"And what? Take you back? It doesn't work that way Yami. You said you'd never hurt me….but you did. How do you expect me to trust you again?"

By now the tears were flowing. Yami felt like dirt under a shoe and maybe he deserved to feel that way, after all the pain he had put her through but he still felt like he also deserved another chance.

"You can trust me again Tea, I made a terrible mistake before, and it won't happen again, I promise you that."

"You promised me then too…"

Yami put his hand to her lips to stop her from speaking. He deliberately gazed into her eyes as he spoke.

"You're upset Tea, I'll give you some more time to think about it. But I want you to understand something. My feelings for you never changed and I want you back in my life; just think about it okay that's all I'm asking."

With that he lifted her chin and lightly brushed his lips over hers. Tea felt her heart break all over again. He slowly let go of herand backed away. By the time he had left Tea felt as if a new wieght had been added to her shoulders. It was so strange- all the times that she wished he would come back to her she was referring to the old Yami and not the one that was just in her apartment. Why was this happening to her? Why did her life have to be so messed up? She looked at the clock. It was only 10:30. She decided to spend the rest of the day clearing her thoughts. She didn't feel like being alone but what other choice did she have. Her life, as far as she knew, was still pretty much a mess of confusion..


	5. Golden CEO

Chapter five: 

Golden CEO

* * *

Monday 7:45 

Tea stared up at Kaiba Corp Headquarters with a nervous knot settling at the bottom of her stomach. She wasn't too eager to start her new job as Kaiba's personal secretary. In fact she was a little mortified. Kaiba had a way of doing that to people no matter how long you'd known him for.

She took a deep breath and walked up the steps leading to the Front entrance. There were two beefy looking security officers dressed all in black standing on opposite ends of the doorway.

"Good morning miss."

Tea smiled politely.

"Good morning."

The officer on the left held the door open for her.

She walked past him and into the air-conditioned building where an old man was apparently waiting for her at the front desk.

As soon as he spotted Tea he hurried over to her.

"Tea Gardner?"

"Yes."

The neatly dressed old man smiled warmly and shook Tea's hand with a much stronger grip than she was expecting.

"Mr. Kaiba is expecting you."

Tea didn't know why she was feeling so nervous. She decided that maybe it was the idea of Seto Kaiba actually being her boss that was making her feel so intimidated. His reputation as the boss man wasn't exactly favorable. She remembered a while back actually feeling sorry for people that were under his employment and now here she was, one of those very people. What a joy.

The old man introduced himself as Mr. Johnson. He escorted her to the elevator where he informed her to go up to floor 12 where Kaiba was waiting for her in his office. Tea stepped into the elevator and pushed the number 12 button.

While waiting Tea's mind wandered back to Yami. He actually wanted them to get back together, but how could she allow that to happen? She couldn't. She promised herself she wouldn't. Sure she thought about him every day since they broke up but Yami had changed some how. The Yami she longed for wasn't there anymore, he was different. And now that she had seen him again all of her old wounds had opened up…. bleeding before they even got a chance to properly heal. She felt a pang of sadness wash over her as the elevator doors finally opened. She stepped out into the empty hall way and saw the door to Kaiba's office straight ahead. She noticed that the reception desk right outside was empty. She assumed that would be where she came in. She straightened her jacket and made sure that her hair was in place before heading for Kaiba's office. She stopped directly in front of the door, staring at the letters CEO directly in front of her face. The letters she noticed were neatly engraved in gold.

Her mind was still tangled with thoughts of Yami and she decided it best to get rid of them before entering the room. Sighing heavily she turned the knob on the door and entered.

Kaiba was sitting at his desk with a lap top opened in front of him. When he saw her his expression remained the same-neutral.

"Don't you know how to knock Gardner?"

"Oh, sorry I …"

"Just forget it have a seat."

It was remarkable how easy it was to unnerve her.

Tea closed the door behind her and walked over to the comfortable looking chair in front of Kaiba's desk.

He had to admit, she looked pretty damn good. Conservative and sexy at the same time.

As she sat she felt Kaiba's eyes on her. Why did he have to be so overbearingly strict when it came to his work?

Kaiba made himself more comfortable by reclining on his chair.

"So let's get straight down to business shall we."

Tea nodded her approval feeling a bit weird treating Kaiba like her boss.

"Since today's your first day I think I'll be a little nice and go easy on you, and we both know _nice_ isn't my thing so enjoy it while it lasts because tomorrow I won't be so lenient."

Tea didn't say anything; she was still trying to stop thinking about Yami. Kaiba sensed her distraction right away but wasn't sure if he should say anything about it. He was beginning to think that Tea was more fragile than she led people to believe. Once again he was confused as to why that bothered him so much.

"I don't have any major meetings to attend today so I'd like you to do some filing work for me. And I'd like it to be finished before you leave this afternoon"

She nodded.

"Is something wrong?"

His tone was a little less business like when he said it.

"Huh … no nothings wrong, everything's fine, why'd you ask?"

"You seem distracted."

"I'm not."

Kaiba knew she wasn't being honest with him but decided it was no use getting further into it. He knew she wouldn't be willing to tell him, not that he blamed her, they weren't exactly what you would call the best of friends, but he assumed it had something to do with Yami showing up at her apartment yesterday. For whatever reason he was pretty curious about what happened between them after he left.

He would leave it alone for now.

"Alright whatever, the desk outside my office is yours. All you have to do in addition to your filing duties is answer my calls, anything that's not important, just say I'm busy or at a meeting, if it _is_ important then you can just transfer the call over to me, got it?"

"Yea, I've done this sort of thing before"

"I'm just letting you know before hand what I expect from you."

She nodded again. She looked so cute, almost vulnerable as she sat there soaking up every word that he said.

_Damn it,_ It was as if he had no control over his thoughts when he was around her.

He was becoming increasingly annoyed with himself

"Well I guess everything's settled, any questions or anything you want me to clear up for you?"

"…no I'm okay."

"Alright, you can go."

Tea got up out of the chair and started heading for the door.

"Oh one more thing Gardner."

She turned around.

"Sometimes I work late, since you work directly under me I'll need you to stay after regular working hours as well. Will that be a problem for you?"

"Exactly how late are you talking about?"

"That depends on how much work I have, it shouldn't be any later than about 7.00pm."

"Oh, okay no problem."

She was used to working late hours thanks to her job at the restaurant.

"Will I have to stay late today?"

"I'll let you know."

Tea left his office feeling a bit worn out. Yami was really starting to get to her.

Outside, Tea walked over to the fairly large reception desk and stepped behind it. There were about four large piles of disorganized folders and loose documents sitting on the floor next to the chair. _Just Great_. There was nothing Tea hated more than filing.

Sighing heavily she sat herself down and leaned over to pick up the first stack of folders.

The entire day went by fairly quickly. She managed to get everything done by four that afternoon, despite the splitting headache she developed later on in the day. Kaiba was even nice enough to give her an aspirin. She guessed that he really needed those documents filed, other wise hell would freeze over before he was so generous. Then again he did give her this job when he easily could have gotten somebody else. Maybe Kaiba wasn't as horrible as she thought he was.

She was glad when he told her that she wouldn't have to stay after hours today, mainly due to the fact that she wasn't feeling very well. She wasn't too eager to head home, too afraid that Yami would be waiting at her door. But her headache was comming back and she needed some rest.

* * *

4:30pm 

Tea was walking across the Kaiba corp. parking lot feeling rather worn out and slightly miserable. The aspirin seemed to be wearing off as her headache started acting up again. She was starting to believe that she was getting immune to headache medication. Her constant worrying about Yami wasn't helping her situation either. She couldn't believe that she was actually considering accepting him back into her life. He did seem really sorry for what happened between them. She sighed as she pulled her hair tie out of her hair letting it fall loose. It was so unfair; she knew her loneliness would cloud her judgment. Just then she noticed a red posh looking sports car heading in her direction. She stared, confused as it slowed to a stop in front of her. She wasn't surprised to see Kaiba in the driver's seat; he was entitled to such luxuries; however she was surprised about him stopping for her.

"Get in Gardner; you're in no condition to be traveling on your own."

Her head was spinning but that didn't prevent her from noticing just how good he looked in that car.

"Kaiba I'm perfectly capable of …"

"Would you just get in the damn car. I'm taking you home whether you like it or not."

There was no use arguing with him when his mind was made up. Mumbling her disapproval under her breath, she walked around the front of the car and opened the passenger door. She sat down and closed it. Kaiba didn't even look at her as he drove off out of the parking lot. Tea couldn't help but feel grateful for the ride but she didn't understand why he was being so nice to her. He sent the windows all the way up and put on the air-conditioner.

"So how's the head trauma?"

"It's starting to act up again."

"Leave it to you Gardner, to fall sick on your first day working for me."

"I'm not sick; I just have a really bad Headache."

"Right."

Tea loved the way it felt inside his car. There was a new and comfortable feel to it.

"So other than that how was your first day at Kaiba Corp?"

"It was fine"

"Well don't expect things to be so easy tomorrow."

"Ya I know."

She sounded a bit withdrawn as she spoke.

Kaiba glanced at her for a second. She looked exhausted as she turned to look out the window. He decided not to say anything further, despite his acute interest in certain matters.

Tea stared out the window watching the buildings go by as they drove through the city in silence. She thought about Yami, her parents, her uncle, everyone who at one time or the other let her down and left her alone in the world. She hated her weakness, why couldn't she just let go of the past and move on with her life?

Kaiba tried his best to push his thoughts about the girl sitting next to him aside but he couldn't. He kept his eyes focused on the road, not wanting to look at her.

Tea was still staring out the window as they finally approached her apartment building, her anxiety about Yami resurfacing, causing her throbbing headache to increase in size.

As Kaiba stopped the car at the front of the building he turned to look at her. She looked like she was lost in her thoughts again. _What on earth could she be thinking_ _about? Was it Yami? Damn it, Why was he so curious about this?_ She felt his eyes on her and turned to look at him.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Just try not to get sick tomorrow."

She smiled.

"I'll try."  
Kaiba thought he saw something in her eyes as she looked up at him. Was it worry? Or was it longing? Maybe it was both. At that moment he felt an uncontrollable urge to kiss her.

But she was already opening the door. As she climbed out he had to tighten his grip on the staring wheel in order to stop himself from pulling her back.

He watched her until she disappeared behind the front door of the apartment building.

He swore under his breath as he drove off._ What the hell was wrong with him? _If he continued feeling like this who knows what would happen next time.


	6. Curiosity

Chapter six: 

Curiosity

* * *

Tea struggled to find her keys at the bottom of her purse, relieved to see that Yami wasn't anywhere in sight. She stood at her door fishing in her purse, until she finally bunged her fingers around her keys. 

Moments later she was inside the comfort of her apartment in desperate need of a shower and some chocolate ice-cream. Ice-cream always had a way of making her feel better. Her head was still spinning as she walked into her bedroom.

She sat at the edge of her bed as she pulled off her shoes. She was way too young to be feeling so frustrated and worn out. And she definitely needed to do something about her headache. She headed to her bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Aside from her regular toiletries there wasn't much else in there, least of all headache medication.

She decided that she had no choice but to go down to the drugstore and get herself some more aspirin.

After taking a quick shower she changed into something more comfortable and headed back out of her apartment.

She looked at her watch as she walked down the sidewalk; it was still rather early; only 6:30.

Luckily the drugstore was only about a block away other wise she would have to take a cab. She really needed to get a car.

As she neared her destination she found that for some reason she was starting to think about Kaiba. Her headache must be interfering with her thought process. She knew she was attracted to him physically, most girls were, but to actually have some kind of crush on him on a deeper level was completely absurd. Wasn't it?

When she finally entered the drugstore her head was spiraling out of control. She needed to get back home as soon as possible.

She bought one bottle of aspirin and got out as hastily as she came in.

All she needed to do now was to get to her apartment.

As she walked along the sidewalk again, annoyingly enough her thoughts fell right back onto Seto Kaiba. _Crap, this stupid headache._

When she was finally home she headed straight for the kitchen. She filled a glass with water from the faucet, popped two of the Aspirin in her mouth and washed it down immediately. After that she headed to her living room and sat down on the couch to watch a little T.V. She grabbed one of the small cushions and hugged it to her body as she flipped through the channels.

After about half an hour her headache finally started to ease up. She was still pretty worried about Yami showing up at her door but she decided not to think about it too much. She needed to clear her thoughts if she wanted her headache to stop.

After she had her fill of some of her favorite shows, she decided to call it a night. She definitely needed some rest if she wanted a lucid frame of mind in the morning. And she knew Kaiba wouldn't be as kind to her tomorrow as he was to her today.

With her mind in a torrent she climbed into bed and fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

The next day at Kaiba Corp went by just as quickly as the last, without the damper of a splitting headache. Tea had managed to put on a sunny disposition through out the entire day despite the glum state of her heart. She had tried extremely hard to keep Yami as far away from her thoughts as possible and was surprisingly more successful at it than she thought she would be. 

Kaiba was definitely a man of his word, just as he had promised he had loaded her with errands and almost made her faint at the amount of files he dropped on her desk that morning. So by quitting time she was pretty worn out. This is why she wasn't too happy when Kaiba informed her that she would have to stay a few extra hours with him at the office. He needed her to organize a number of important documents for a meeting he had the next day. _Oh joy another three hours with Seto Kaiba_.

5:30pm (Kaiba's office)

Kaiba's fingers moved swiftly across the keys of his laptop as he tried to keep his mind focused on his work. His concentration levels were lower than usual and he knew exactly why they were. Tea was sitting on the leather couch only a few feet away from him busily flipping through documents and files that still needed to be sorted out. Kaiba knew she was hiding something but he wasn't really sure what it was.

He glimpsed at her just as she was trying to reach one of the research files on top of his bookshelf. It looked like she was having a fairly hard time, it was pretty high up after all. Sighing to himself he decided to give her some help.

"You know if you wanted some help all you had to do was ask."

Tea was startled as he appeared at her side.

Kaiba retrieved the book with ease and handed it to her. She took it from him feeling a bit silly.

"I didn't want to disturb you."

Kaiba felt his baser instincts taking control of his body again as he looked down at her. They were standing pretty close and he could sense her uneasiness. He wondered what she was thinking as she stared back up at him.

"Next time just ask"

With that said he headed back over to his desk. He was starting to get irritated, more so with himself than anything else. Could he be getting soft? Something was bothering _her_, but why was that bothering _him_?

He had to do something about this, but what? His concentration didn't get any better as he resumed his work, in fact it got worse. He sighed inwardly as he dragged his eyes from the lap top to look at Tea again. She was flipping through the file he had just handed to her, but she looked as though she was looking straight through the pages, as if her mind was on something else.

He stared at the screen of his lap top, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't know what was going on with him but he decided that it had to stop and the only way to do that was to satisfy his impending curiosity before it ate him alive. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that but somehow he would find a way.

He forced himself to continue his work in silence, for the rest of the evening.

* * *

7:00pm 

Kaiba managed to convince Tea to let him give her a ride to her apartment again despite all of her protests. Tea had barely said a word to him all evening. Again he was both annoyed and confused as to why that was suddenly a _bad _thing.

By the time they had driven only half of the distance Kaiba decided to take matters into his own hands. This new concern for Tea was getting old and he needed to regain some of his sanity. He glimpsed at her as she stared out the window.

"Why so quiet Gardner?"

"I just don't feel like talking."

She sounded exhausted and withdrawn, much unlike the Tea he had known back in high school.

"humph, I never thought I'd see the day that _you_ didn't have anything to say."

"Well there's a first time for everything."

Now he knew something was wrong for sure, the Tea he knew would never let him get away with a statement like that one.

He decided to push the conversation further to see where he could take it, hopefully in the direction of some answers.

"Any particular reason you don't feel like talking? Or… could it be you just don't feel like talking to _me_?"

"No, Its not that, I just feel tired that's all."

"That's bullshit."

Tea turned to look at him, a little annoyed

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean why don't you just stop sugar coating everything for once and just admit that you just don't feel like talking to _me_ in particular."

It wasn't his intention to get her agitated but his only goal at the moment was to get some answers. So he was prepared to say or do what was necessary to get them

"What are you talking about? Look its not _you_, I'm tired, I don't feel like talking, is that so hard to understand?"

"In your case , _it is_ hard to understand…"

"Kaiba, what do you care if I don't say anything anyway."

"Actually I don't care; I just want you to admit that _I'm_ the reason you're not saying anything. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that you despise me Gardner."

Tea was getting aggravated.

" What? I never said I despise you…"

Tea saw the smirk pulling over his lips and immediately wished she could erase what she had just said.

"So does that mean you like me then?"

"No, it doesn't mean anything."

"You sure about that?"

"I know this might be a _shock_ to you but I'm not one of your little fan girls, if that's what you're suggesting."

She turned to stare out the window again, clearly trying to evade their conversation.

But Kaiba wasn't about to let her off the hook that easily. He knew he had to keep pushing her if he wanted some insight.

"Actually I'm not shocked; you seem to be more of a _Yami_ fan to me."

Kaiba knew he was threading on thin ice now but he needed to know if his suspicions were true or if he was just being paranoid. He paid close attention to her response.

"I'm nobody's fan girl, least of all his."

She sounded a little bitter, as if she was speaking more to herself than to him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he your boyfriend at one time, and by the way you acted when he showed up at your door the other day, I'd say _fan_ is an understatement."

Tea suddenly became very angry and very hurt all at the same time. She knew Kaiba had no idea what had really happened between her and Yami, but he still had no business talking about it as if it were a joke.

She turned to look at him feeling her temper rise

"Kaiba you don't know anything about me or Yami, so why don't you go mind someone else's business."

Kaiba noticed the sudden change in her tone which confirmed his initial assumption right away. _Just what the hell did that asshole do to her_?

He glimpsed at her again, she was looking straight ahead but she was fiddling with her purse. She looked down at her fingers, clearly trying to hold back tears.

Kaiba felt a pang of guilt wash over him as he pulled his eyes back to the road. He felt like a jerk, he should've known that Yami would be too much of a touchy subject for her.

After a few minutes of silence they finally arrived at her apartment building. He switched the engine off and turned to look her. She was already scrambling to get out of the car, when he gently grabbed her by the arm, preventing her from getting up out of her seat.

"Look …Tea…I didn't mean to upset you."

She was thrown completely off guard by the tenderness in his voice. She turned to stare back at him noticing that his eyes were a little softer than they usually were. She felt intimidated looking up at him at such a proximity. She didn't quite know how to respond, all she wanted was to get out of the car, she didn't want him to see how upset she was but she knew it was already too late.

Kaiba's concern for her rose as he looked at her, her eyes were glistening and it was obvious that she had a lot on her mind. He waited for her to speak.

"I… I'm not upset ok…"

"But you are…I can tell…"

She didn't give him a chance to say anything further

"Ok fine I'm upset…..but it's not your fault or your problem ok."

Her voice was soft and her eyes were slowly filling up with tears as she spoke.

"I know it's not my problem …."

He leaned in closer and wiped the first trace of a tear from her eyes with his thumb.

"…but I shouldn't have said what I said ok."

She felt her heartbeat speeding up as she felt him touch her face. She didn't say anything, trying hard to pry her eyes away from his, but was surprised to find that she couldn't.

_What in the world was going on here?_

She felt vulnerable as she stared up at him with teary eyes._ Why was he being so nice to her?_

But before Kaiba could say another word, she gently pulled away from his touch. He moved back slightly studying her expression. She looked a little frightened and even more upset than before. He felt his guilt return full throttle.

When she spoke her voice was calm but he knew she was anything but.

" I… I really need to go ok, I'm tired."

Despite his concern for her Kaiba decided it best not to press her anymore. His little attempt to eliminate his curiosity had somehow back fired; horribly.

He started the engine again as he watched her climb out of the car deciding that it was better if he didn't say anything further. _What was he thinking?_ _he should have_ _never let his curiosity get the better of him_. He drove off after watching her walk to the door feeling even more annoyed with himself than the day before.

* * *

Tea shut the door to the front entrance of her apartment building as she heard Kaiba drive off down the street. She kept her hand on the door knob, feeling distraught and a little perplexed. _What the hell was that about?_ Her heart was still racing as she tried in vain to steady her thoughts. 


	7. A rainy invitation

Chapter seven: 

A rainy invitation.

* * *

The rest of the week went by comparatively slow. 

Tea was a little reluctant to face Kaiba after what had happened between them on Tuesday night but fortunately he didn't appear to be affected by it too much. In fact, he acted as though nothing happened at all. A reaction Tea was more than grateful for.

Actually, Kaiba was barely even in his office for the rest of the week, being occupied with quite a few business deals and corporate ventures.

Luckily she didn't have to tag along with him _every where_ he went, she much preferred being swamped with paper work safe and sound behind her desk than to have to be left alone with Kaiba all day. She was still confused as to why he had been so nice to her but for whatever reason, she had a strong feeling that his curiosity about her life, in particular Yami, would somehow resurface.

* * *

Friday 5:30 pm 

It was raining buckets and Tea had been practically stranded at Kaiba Corp. headquarters for more than half an hour. She looked at her watch and sighed. Typical that Kaiba would pick a day like this one to be out of office, she definitely wouldn't have objected to getting a ride to her apartment today. As she stood at the front entrance of the building, she peered out into the heavy curtain of rain looking for any sign of hope.

Just then she managed to make out a very familiar black Limo pulling to a stop directly in front of the steps before her. _What? Is that Kaiba's limo? I thought he was at a meeting._

She squinted her eyes to peer through the torrent and to her pleasant surprise, saw Mokuba waving at her from behind the window. She heard him shouting over the heavy down pour.

"Hey Tea, looks like you could use a ride."

She couldn't have been happier to see him. She smiled appreciatively, but hesitated before heading out.

She heard his voice pierce through the rain again.

"Come on, you'll have to make a run for it"

She looked down at her shoes with a slightly worried expression. _Great day to be wearing heels Tea_.

After a few more seconds of hesitation she braced herself and rushed out into the rain. She was a little careful running down the steps however; deciding that getting soaked was much better than twisting her ankle.

When she made it to the limo Mokuba hastily opened the door to let her in. She was soaking wet and freezing by the time she sat down.

As they drove off she started to recover some of her composure. Mokuba offered her a blanket from one of the compartments for her to dry herself off. She took it from him feeling extremely grateful.

"Thanks Mokuba, you're a life saver."

"No problem Tea."

"So did you come to see your brother?"

"Yeah, I didn't know he was at another meeting."

"Well he has been pretty busy these days."

"Tell me about it, I hardly even see him anymore; and when I do see him he's got his face stuck behind a laptop."

"Well that's Kaiba for you."

"I guess so."

Mokuba sighed and looked out the window. He looked like he was pondering a math problem. After a few seconds of silence he turned to look at her, a sparkle in his eyes.

"So Tea, are you busy right now?"

"..No not really. Why?"

"Well I was just going to get a bite to eat; and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

Tea considered his invitation for a minute. She didn't really have anything to do for the rest of the evening and she really could've used a chance to unwind.

"You know what Mokuba that sounds like fun."

"Really?"

"Sure why not."

Mokuba's face lit up.

"Alright then it's my treat."

* * *

6:00pm 

Tea watched as Mokuba took a big bite out of his slice of pepperoni pizza. He had taken her to one of the nicest pizza joints in the city.

The rain was still falling outside but it had slowed up a bit. Tea was already full by the time she had finished her third slice of pizza. She slurped down the remainder of her milkshake as she waited for Mokuba to finish his last slice.

She smiled as he slouched back against the chair patting his stomach as if he had just eaten a whale.

Tea put her cup back on the table.

"Well looks like you were hungry."

"A growing boy needs his nourishment."

She smiled warmly at him. He was so sweet and so easy to talk to; it was hard to believe that he and Kaiba actually shared the same bloodlines.

"So Tea..."

He sat back up as if he were ready to clench a business deal.

"...I need your opinion on something."

"My opinion?"

He nodded courteously.

"Ok, sure"

"K…. well you know that Seto's always busy right."

"How could I not know, I work for the guy now."

"Exactly, so you know as well as I do that he seriously needs a break from his work right."

"Well I guess so, but I think he actually _enjoys_ being a workaholic."

"Come on Tea no one likes to be overworked, even Seto, that's why I want to try to convince him to take a vacation."

"A vacation? I'm not an expert on your brother Mokuba but I don't think that Kaiba's into relaxing."

"I know he'll be tough to convince but I have to try. He needs a break but he's too stubborn to realize it."

Mokuba stared at her as if he wanted to know what she was thinking. She could see that he was really concerned about his brother.

" You know what Mokuba I think that's a _great_ idea, Kaiba definitely needs a vacation and you should try your best to convince him."

"You think so."

"Sure"

Mokuba smiled; apparently quite satisfied that she agreed with him.

"Thanks Tea, I really needed a second opinion."

" No problem, Glad I could help; besides, while your brother's away I wouldn't have to go to any of his business meets, so it'll work out good for everyone."

"Well Um actually Tea, that brings me to my next question."

She noticed that he looked a little reluctant to ask.

"Oh ok what is it?"

"Well... I was kinda hoping that...uh...maybe you could ...come with us."

Tea almost fell off her chair.

"What? You can't be serious."

"Actually I am, I wouldn't feel right leaving you here alone while me and Seto are lounging on a beach somewhere."

Tea suddenly felt a sinking feeling creep into her stomach.

"Mokuba, you and Kaiba are family, I wouldn't feel right...I'd feel like I was Intruding or something."

"Tea you're like a big sister to me there's no way you'd be intruding."

"But what about your brother, how will he feel about me going with you guys."

"Oh he wouldn't mind, besides I think he likes you."

Tea felt an instant rush of heat rise to her cheeks.

"Likes me?"

"Yep, I know my brother Tea."

"Mokuba, that's insane, Kaiba does not like me."

"Ok, if you say so."

Mokuba didn't say anything further about it, but he knew that his brother always had a soft spot for Tea, even if he wouldn't be caught dead admitting it to any one.

"Any way Mokuba, I still don't think I should go with you guys."

"Come on Tea, It'll be fun."

Tea sighed as she looked at Mokuba not knowing what to do. A vacation didn't sound half bad, her only discouragement was Kaiba.

"Tell you what, why don't you talk to your brother and see what he has to say about it first okay?"

"Well okay, but if I talk to him and he agrees, do you promise to come with us?"

Tea wasn't sure if she should agree but one look at Mokuba's innocent face sent her hesitation crashing helplessly to the floor.

"…Okay, I promise."

Tea left the pizza parlour with Mokuba feeling a little bit uneasy, what had she gotten herself into? Obviously she should have given the situation a little more thought before promising anything. But it couldn't be helped now, she already made her promise and there was no way that she was going to break it. _Hopefully_

* * *

It was already 7:30pm when she opened the door to her apartment. She had gotten drenched all over again running from the limo to her apartment building. She needed to dry herself off and get out of her working clothes if she wanted to avoid catching a fever. Although she knew it might already be too late for that. 

As she walked into her bedroom she put her keys and her purse onto the dresser. She stepped out of her shoes and started fiddling with her wet hair. As she did her mind suddenly wandered back to what Mokuba had said during their little talk.

For some reason that simple statement he had made about Kaiba liking her kept popping into her head.

The very idea of Kaiba liking her was absolutely ridiculous... Wasn't it?

She knew he had always acted a little differently with her compared to the way he acted around Yugi and the others; he had even saved her life once but that didn't mean anything; it can't, he's Seto Kaiba.

But her memory kept floating back to the night in the car, where he had touched her and made her heart leap. Where he seemed so different, so gentle and somehow caring. But before letting her mind slip away she reminded herself that he was only doing what _anyone_ would have done in a situation like that. She was upset and his guilt had gotten the better of him, that's all it was, that's all it could've been.

What was the matter with her? She was confused; did it really matter that much how Kaiba felt about her?

Damn it, she was driving herself insane; you'd think she had a crush on him or something.

She sighed as she sat down on the bed, finalizing her thoughts as she unbuttoned her jacket.

* * *

(Kaiba Mansion) 8:30pm 

Kaiba took a sip of his coffee as he concentrated on the computer screen in front of him. As usual he was trying to get an early start on his workload for the following week.

Despite his strong focus however his mind suddenly started drifting toward Tea. He wondered if she was alright and if that son of a bitch Yami was still bothering her. It worried him that she had gotten so upset the other night and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since; _much to his aggravation_. He had scolded himself more times than he could count for letting her see just how concerned he was about her but for some reason he felt as though he had done the right thing. She was obviously going through a difficult time.

Feeling extremely annoyed with himself for being so easily distracted he dove back into his work determined to drive her out of his mind.

He was Seto Kaiba and he couldn't and wouldn't allow himself to fall into such a petty state.

Just then he heard a light knock on his door. He looked up and saw Mokuba standing in the doorway.

"Hey Seto, can I come in?"

"Sure kiddo."

Mokuba walked into the room looking a bit nervous. Kaiba knew his brother well enough to know that something was up.

"Is something wrong?"  
Mokuba stopped directly in front of Kaiba's desk.

"Well not exactly, I just have something I want to ask you."

Kaiba leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, a bit curious as to why Mokuba was so uneasy.

"I'm listening."

"Well you see Seto…. I was wondering, since the summer's almost over…... if we could go on a real vacation before school starts."

"…a vacation?"

"Yeah, I know you're busy but can't you just take a break from all your work for just a week or two?"

Kaiba sighed as he stared at Mokuba, not knowing what to do.

"Mokuba you know how I feel about vacations."

"I know but can't you make an exception just this once…please… besides big brother; you look like you could use a break from all your work anyway."

Kaiba didn't want to admit it but he knew his brother was right; he had been working extra hard for the past few days. The only problem was that he _hated_ vacations, especially at this time of year.

But then again he _loved_ his brother and they hadn't been on a real vacation in years. Maybe he should make an exception and give the kid a break this time.

He sighed in defeat as he looked at Mokuba's eager face.

"...Okay, fine, I'll take you."

Mokuba smiled in surprise.

"Really Seto?"

"Sure, why not."

"Awesome!"

Kaiba resumed his work on the computer.

"So where exactly do you want to go?"

"…hmm I was thinking, maybe a beach resort?"

_A beach resort? Great. _

Kaiba hated the beach but he didn't want to say anything to put a damper on Mokuba's mood.

"Ok if that's what you want."

Mokuba took a silent breath and gathered himself for the second faze of his request.

"Uh Seto, I have another question I'd like to ask you."

Kaiba pulled his eyes away from the computer screen and looked at Mokuba.

"…Another question?"

"...Yeah."

"...Okay, what is it?"

"Um, I was just wondering if...uh...

Mokuba braced himself before saying the rest.

"…if Tea could come with us?"

Kaiba's fingers slipped over the keys.

"What? Did you just say TEA?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Mokuba, are you out of your mind? And what makes you think Gardner would even _want _to come with us?"

"Well, I kinda sorta asked her already and..."

"You asked her?"

"Yeah I did and she said she would come with us but only if it was okay with you."

Kaiba felt obliged to simply refuse all together; but there was something rather alluring about the idea of having Tea practically all to himself for the rest of the summer. _Damn it, get a grip! _

"Well Seto, can she come with us?"

Kaiba looked at his brother's innocent face, feeling a bit indecisive. He thought about it for a few seconds. Maybe he _should_ take her with them, at least then he wouldn't have to worry about that spiky haired asshole causing her any more trouble for the time being. Crap, he was definitely getting too soft for his own good. He folded his arms and stared thoughtfully at his brother.

"Humph, I think I'll just have to pay Gardner a little visit tomorrow."

Mokuba gulped.

"You really think that's necessary?"

"Sure it is; I need to hear what she has to say about all this."

"Ok big brother."

Kaiba switched his attention back to the screen in front of him already searching for a suitable five star beach resort. He wanted to get this vacation thing over and done with as soon as possible. When he found what he was looking for he flipped out his cell phone and dialed the number for the Oceanview Hotel and Beach Resort.

Mokuba watched as Kaiba made their reservations feeling a bit apprehensive.

"Uh Seto don't you think you should wait until Tea actually _agrees_ to come along with us before making reservations for three?"

Kaiba snapped his cell phone shut and looked at his brother, a mischievous smirk pulling over his lips.

"Don't worry Mokuba I'll make sure she doesn't go back on her word."


	8. Dejavu city

Chapter eight:

Dejavu city

* * *

Saturday 8:30am

Tea was in a miserable state. Her nose was stuffy and her temperature was a little above average. She was curled up on the couch with a cup of herbal tea in her hand, flipping through the TV channels with no particular interest.

She knew that she would've caught a cold by the way she had gotten soaked yesterday but luckily it wasn't as bad as she expected. Hopefully with her mom's special herbal tea remedy she would be back on her feet by Sunday. She listened to the rain falling outside, trying her best to keep her thoughts clear.

As she was feeling a bit chilly she had put on her blue night robe over her regular clothes to keep in some warmth. She clinched the soft fabric around her as she took a sip of the sour tasting tea.

Just then there was a steady knock on her door. She almost spilled the contents of the cup as she looked up from the television. Her worst thoughts immediately took control. What if it was Yami? She definitely didn't want to deal with him in her current state. She stood up from the couch and reluctantly headed for the door. With a deep breath she peered into the peep whole. Her anxiety suddenly turned to relief which quickly turned to exasperation as she saw who was standing there.

She unlocked her door and swung it open, finding herself staring up at Kaiba.

"….What are you doing here?"

"Good morning to you too."

Tea only stared back at him with a confused look on her face. What on earth could he be doing at her apartment at this hour? She searched her memory for any trace of an explanation. Did she somehow mess up at work?

She felt a little uneasy looking up at him, he looked a little irritated and she noticed that his hair and coat were a little damp from the rain. Whatever it was it had to be important for him to come all this way.

"Are you gonna let me in or not?"

Tea sighed and stepped aside

"Fine."

Kaiba walked past her and waited for her to close the door behind her before speaking.

"Are you sick or something?"

"Yeah, just a cold."

She walked past him and gestured for him to follow.

He did so without hesitation as she led him to the living room.

She sat down in the same spot that she was sitting in before and continued flipping the channels as if he wasn't there.

"So why are you here again?"

"Well..."

He took a seat on the single couch opposite the one she was sitting on.

"I'm here because of the promise you made to my brother."

Tea immediately stopped flipping through the channels. She had completely forgotten about that.

Kaiba saw the look of unexpected surprise on her face and couldn't help feeling complacently satisfied at her reaction. He liked having the upper hand.

"What's the matter, don't tell me you forgot your promise already? Maybe you really are suffering from short term memory loss."

He made no attempt to hide his teasing demeanor.

Tea didn't exactly know what to say and had to take a few seconds to respond. When she finally spoke she was looking a bit anxious.

"So this is about me… _actually_... going with you guys on your vacation?"

"That _was_ what you agreed to right?"

"…Yeah, but…"

"But, let me guess; _now_ you want to go back on your word?"

"…Well… no… not exactly, it's just…. I didn't think that _you_ would actually agree to let me come along…"

"Humph, don't get ahead of yourself, I only agreed for Mokuba."

He knew all too well that that wasn't exactly the case, but he couldn't afford to let her know his true motives. He had already revealed some of his concern for her once before and that was more than enough for him. _At least_ _for now._

Tea looked a bit nervous.

"Well if you have a problem with me going then…."

"Look it doesn't matter to me whether you go or not ok, I wouldn't even be going on this vacation if it wasn't for Mokuba so you'll be doing it for _him, _not for _me_ Gardner."

"But I… I can't possibly… I mean it wouldn't be right..."

Kaiba knew it was the thought of spending a vacation with _him_ that was making her nervous. Was that good or bad? He couldn't decide.

"Well you should've thought about all that _before_ you made any promises to my brother; and seeing as I'm your _boss,_ you really don't have a choice in the matter."

His brashness caught her off guard. She looked at him with an incredulous glare.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all."

His slightly malicious smirk said other wise.

She gave him an 'I can't believe you' look as she reached for her cup of tea.

"….Well for your information, I _am_ going to keep my promise to Mokuba, so you don't have to resort to petty threats _Mr. Kaiba_."

Kaiba made little to no attempt to hide his amusement. He had always found her to be especially cute when she was telling him off.

"Glad to hear you're finally using some of your brain cells for once."

Tea bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything as she felt her aggravation mounting. _He was such a jerk, ugh, how could she have possibly thought he had changed? _

She felt his eyes on her as she took a sip of her tea. And w_hy the heck was he making her feel so on edge? _

_Damn this stupid cold._

She put the cup back onto the table feeling irritated.

"So… where exactly are we going?"

"Mokuba wanted to go to a beach resort so I made reservations for Monday at the Oceanview."

_The Oceanview? That was one of the most expensive and most luxurious hotels around. It was practically impossible to get reservations there at such short notice_

Tea looked a bit baffled

"…Monday?... as in… _this_ Monday? "

"Yea, the sooner the better."

_Wow, Kaiba definitely knew how to pull strings. _

"So I'll expect you to be ready by 7:00 am sharp on Monday morning, we'll be traveling by jet."

"…you mean… in one of your private jets?"

"Obviously Gardner"

Tea felt awkward again. _Why was this so hard to swallow?_ She just couldn't come to terms with the fact that she was actually going on a vacation with the Kaiba brothers. She picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels again.

"…And how long are we going to be staying there?"

"Two weeks."

_Two weeks? That was like a lifetime._

Her head was starting to hurt. _Great leave it up to Kaiba to make her feel worse_.

Kaiba kept his eyes on her mainly because he couldn't seem to keep them off. She looked so cute sitting there with that worried look on her face. _Was he really that unpleasant to be around?_ He thought about it for a second _Oh yea, he was._

Tea sighed as she put her hand to her head; she was starting to feel a bit queasy. She slowly stood up from the couch.

"Ok, don't mean to be rude or anything but you really have to go now."

Kaiba stood up as well and stared at her, trying hard to hide his worry. He noticed that she was looking exhausted.

"Kicking me out already?"

Tea started walking out of the living room meaning for him to follow.

"Sorry, but I really don't feel well."

Tea felt her energy draining. She needed to rest if she had any hopes of getting better by Monday.

Kaiba didn't say anything as he followed close behind her. For some reason he was bit apprehensive about leaving her alone.

Seconds later they were at the door.

"Are you gonna be ok?"

_Damn it why did he have to be so soft around her_.

Tea turned to face him, surprised by his question

"…Yeah, I'll be fine."

She stared up at him feeling uneasy and wondering why he was suddenly so concerned about her well being.

Kaiba's thoughts took a turn down the compassionate path again as he looked down at her, much to his dismay. _Why did she have so much power over his feelings?_

Tea pulled her eyes away from his spellbinding ocean blues and turned to open the door. She felt her headache worsen as Kaiba walked past her and out into the hallway.

"Ok Gardner, just remember, 7:00am sharp on Monday, I'll send a limo over to pick you up."

Tea nodded, feeling like a kid at school.

As she watched him leave she couldn't help feeling a little worse than before. She sighed hopelessly as she shut the door. _What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

_

Kaiba walked out into the light drizzle, looking up at the grey sky; by the looks of it they were in for a stormy night. He walked briskly toward his car, running his fingers through his wet hair as he got in.

When he was seated he glanced up at Tea's apartment building as he turned the engine on. As he drove off, his thoughts wandered back to her, he hoped that she was alright and that she would be ok for Monday. His original intentions were to keep her as far away from Yami as possible, but now there was something more, the need to keep her closer to himself. He sighed as he drove through the rain. When did he lose himself? How on earth did he get so damn soft?

* * *

Sunday 10:30am 

Tea stepped into the air-conditioned drug store. She was feeling much better than yesterday but she decided it best to get some more medicine just in case her illness started acting up later on; Lord knows she needed all of her strength on Monday in order to put up with Kaiba's ego. She was glad that the weather had cleared up a bit that morning. It was nice to have the warmth of the sun again.

She found that her mind was starting to drift. She was still rather confused as to why Kaiba had been so nice to her back at her apartment but she couldn't help the blush creeping up to her cheeks at the thought. Could he really have some ounce of feelings for her? No that's crazy. She tried her best to push her thoughts away with little success. She felt a profound knot forming at the pit of her stomach as she thought of the vacation. Will she be able to survive that long with him? Will he drive her insane before the two weeks were up? It was hard enough being around him for eight hours at work everyday, how will she survive _this_? Not only that, but she was starting to feel more attracted to him. She sighed inwardly at her girlish absurdity as she bought what she needed at the counter. Why the heck did he have to be so gorgeous anyway? She felt even sillier as she paid the cashier for the medicine. She definitely needed to stop thinking so much, if she continued this way she would give herself a headache for sure. She smiled politely at the old cashier and was just about to turn around when she heard someone speak behind her. She recognized the voice straight away.

"Hello Tea."

She was more than a little reluctant to turn around but nevertheless did. She felt her heart rate speeding up as she found herself staring back at Yami who was standing right behind her, a pleasing smile on his face.

"…Yami?..."

" Hi, surprised to see me?"

Tea clenched her fingers around the strap of her purse.

"I… I don't… I mean, what are you doing here?"

"I told you I'd be back didn't I?"

"Well, yea …..But I wasn't expecting you to…."

Yami noticed the cashier staring at them. He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice.

"Look Tea, let's just go somewhere and talk ok."

Tea felt slightly nauseated, she wasn't prepared for this. She didn't want this, not now; but what could she possibly do?

She didn't know how to respond. As he stared down at her she felt her will power slipping. How could he still have so much power over her?

He lowered his voice even more as he came closer and put his hand on her waist, gently nudging her with him.

"Come on lets go ok."

Tea felt herself resisting but her words were frozen. For some reason she couldn't say no to him and she couldn't pull away.

She walked with him out of the drug store feeling hesitant and upset.

When they were finally outside, Yami turned to face her.

"Tea, I really need to talk to you…"

"Yami what … could we possibly have to talk about?"

Yami noticed right away just how distraught she looked. He had hoped that she would be willing to at least hear him out when he returned but apparently he was wrong.

"Tea, don't be like this…."

"How do you expect me to be? I told you before…you can't expect me to just…"

"Look, I just need to talk to you ok; I have some things I'd like to explain."

Tea stared at him with hurt, weary eyes. She couldn't allow this happen, he was going to try to ease his way back into her life.

"Yami I…"

"Please Tea, just give me a few minutes of your time, that's all I'm asking."

Tea stared at him as a cold gust of wind blew past them. The sun was just starting to disappear behind a thin layer of clouds lining the sky, _how typical_.

They both looked up at the darkening sky.

"Come on, it's gonna rain soon, lets go somewhere and talk ok."

Tea didn't say anything, she just watched him with a worried expression. She didn't know what to do.

She sighed as she reluctantly walked with him to his car, which was parked across the street.

* * *

11:15 am (Coffee shop) 

Kaiba checked his watch as he entered the coffee house. He was in one of his bad moods again; he had gone to Kaiba corp. to tie up some last minute business deals before having to leave on Monday. The whole vacation deal was giving him a major headache, but for Mokuba he was willing to endure it. He was glad that the café was practically empty as he walked over to the counter to get himself a cup of coffee. He still had a few things to take care of back at the office and he wasn't too happy about it. He needed to finish his workload before he left tomorrow, of course he could easily take his work with him to the beach but knowing Mokuba there would be nothing of the sort. As he waited at the counter his eyes wandered to one of the tables at the far corner of the room.

_What the hell._

He frowned as he stared at the two persons sitting at the table. He looked closer to confirm what he thought he saw.

Is that Tea…..and….._Yami?_

Kaiba felt a dangerous swell of anger welling up inside him as he turned to take the cup of coffee from the flustered young woman at the counter. He stood with the coffee in his hands not knowing what he should do or if he should do anything at all. It was none of his business after all right. But none of his reasons seemed plausible enough to keep his anger at bay. All he wanted to do at that moment was to go over there and punch Yami square in the face. He looked over at them, paying close attention to Tea's expression. She was looking a bit nervous and her frustration was more than apparent. His irritation increased as he stared at her. He wasn't exactly sure what he should do. Should he really go over there? He kept reminding himself that it wasn't his business to get involved, but then again, maybe he should _make_ it his business.

Besides, how could he pass up an opportunity to disrupt one of his most _hated_ rivals?

* * *

Tea took a sip of her smoothie as she tried to gather herself. She glanced out the window, looking at the light drizzle; a million and one thoughts swimming through her mind. Yami was staring at her from across the opposite end of the table and she couldn't help feeling extremely uncomfortable. 

She put her cup back on the table and reluctantly met his gaze.

"…Ok, now can you tell me what this is all about."

"Tea, Look….. I know I've hurt you before..."

Tea fiddled with her purse resting on her lap as she listened to him speak.

"..But I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Tea was trying hard to keep her emotions under control. Every word that came out of Yami's mouth seemed to pierce her heart.

"…I, I can _forgive_ you Yami …but I… can't _forget_ what you did."

Yami looked intently at her. She was looking almost too hurt to talk about it.

"Look, I didn't mean for any of that to happen, I don't know what I was thinking Tea."

"…I really don't see the point in us talking about the past Yami."

Tea noticed that Yami's expression changed slightly. He looked a bit mad that she had said that.

"All I wanted to do was apologize Tea, I didn't get a chance before you came to the city…."

"..And after I accept your apology, then what?"

"Well I thought that you…"

But before Yami could say anything further he was interrupted by a voice he knew all too well.

"Well, well, what a surprise?"

Both Tea and Yami looked up to see Kaiba looming over them, a smirk on his face and a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Tea looked up at him surprised. She felt her uneasiness increasing considerably. _This was definitely not good._


	9. A silver lining

Chapter nine:

A Silver Lining  


It was raining buckets as Mokuba stared out the limousine window. He was waiting patiently for his brother to return from the coffee house but was just now starting to get impatient. _What was taking Seto so long anyway?_ He sighed quietly to himself as he traced the letters of his name along the frosted glass.

* * *

Meanwhile (coffee shop)

Tea stared up at Kaiba, a perplexed expression on her face. What the heck was he doing here? She spared a quick glance at Yami sitting silently at the opposite end of the table. From his vacant yet livid expression he was obviously just as confused about why Kaiba was standing there as she was and then some.

She directed her attention to Kaiba once again, his trademark of a smirk never left his face but she noticed an undeniably dangerous glint in his eye. Something was definitely wrong.

Not knowing exactly what she should do or say next she stared at him expectantly, silently demanding an explanation.

But before another puzzled assumption could enter her mind, the sound of Yami's voice broke into the uncomfortable silence, shattering the tension and replacing it with something worse….enmity.

"What the hell are you doing here Kaiba?"

Kaiba responded as if he had come prepared for just such a welcome.

"Since when is my business any of _yours_?"

The acid dripping from his words was as lethal as venom.

"And what _business_ could you possibly have here?"

The rain continued its relentless downpour outside, adding to the intense cold between them.

Kaiba took a cool sip of his latte as he diverted his gaze to Tea, making her cringe.

"Not that it's any of _your_ concern, but I'm here to see my secretary."

Tea's eyes widened slightly as she stared up at him.

_What? Here to see her? But……Why? Was she in some kind of trouble? Had she done something wrong?_ Her thoughts were going a million miles an hour.

She pried her eyes away to look at Yami……… he was staring back at her as if he were waiting for some kind of an explanation……a good one at that.

Kaiba kept his eyes locked on her, hoping that she would at least say _something_ to him….anything. But she looked as though she was at a loss for words.

He studied her expression closely, she was agitated, and he could tell that it wasn't entirely because of him.

He grit his teeth, silently trying to gain control of his anger. He had to struggle to keep himself from grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of her seat. He spared a glance at Yami, feeling his temper rising not giving a damn about the reasons why. All he wanted at that moment was to get her out of there.

_But how the hell was he supposed to do that without looking like a complete psycho?_

He decided that he would just have to use his intuition …… He was _Seto Kaiba_ after all.

Yami was still staring at Tea, obviously waiting for her to say something.

When she didn't respond, he snatched the opportunity to speak.

"_Your_ secretary?... Listen Kaiba, just because Tea works for you now, doesn't mean that you can……"

Kaiba didn't give him the chance to finish.

"….Why don't you shut up and stay out of matters that don't concern you."

Yami's expression immediately shifted, Kaiba's brashness catching him completely off guard.

"What the hell? Listen you arrogant fool, don't you think for one second that you can just…."

"……..I can do what ever I want, and right now I have business with Gardner, so I suggest you stay out of it!"

Yami's eyes were pools of fire as he glared at Kaiba.

"What ever business you have with her can wait…."

"Actually it _can't_ wait, and I didn't come here to listen to the likes of _you!"_

_What in the world was going on here? _Tea was at a loss for words as she looked at them both. She felt the rivalry between the two and couldn't help feeling particularly nervous. She didn't understand……. _why was Kaiba acting this way? What was it that was so important?_

She decided to intervene before the situation got any more out of hand

"Wait, hold on Yami_……"_

She looked up at Kaiba, real concern in her clouded eyes.

"What is it that you want Kaiba, I mean ,I don't usually work on Sundays."

She made sure to keep her tone under control; she didn't want to betray her feelings to either of them.

Luckily Kaiba was more than quick on the uptake, he fabricated the most plausible reason he could think of.

"There's some last minute paperwork I need you to take care of before we leave tomorrow. It's important that I get it done today. I can't afford to put it off for a whole two weeks."

Kaiba kept his eyes glued to hers, holding her gaze and making sure that she understood just how serious he was

Tea felt a sudden case of nausea at the pit of her stomach as she looked over at Yami. He was already glaring suspiciously at them.

He folded his arms, and looked directly at Tea, a serious and not to mention intimidating expression on his face.

"……..Did I miss something here….are you two……._going_ somewhere?"

Tea stared back at him feeling even more nervous than before. _Oh no_, now he was going to find out about the trip tomorrow. _Definitely not good_…. knowing Yami, he wasn't going to take this lightly.

But wait, maybe there was someway she could change the subject….no…….. that would look way too obvious. Great; She sighed inwardly…….why did Kaiba have to say that?

She opened her mouth to speak but Kaiba beat her to the task.

"I don't think that's any of your business brush head."

Tea looked up to see Kaiba glaring dangerously at Yami. His response was laced with acid.

Yami returned the look of disdain, retaliation written as plain as day on his perplexed face……but instead of responding to Kaiba he turned his attention to Tea, who was looking a bit frightened.

"Tea……could you please explain what the hell is going on here?"

He was obviously trying to keep his tone under control.

Tea clenched her purse weakly, she felt the pressure and she hated it……..what the heck was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to just tell him the truth? If she did, there would be no telling how he would react.

_What was wrong with her? Why did she even care anyway?_

"There's nothing going on Yami…….its just, we…… I mean…I….."

Kaiba intervened before she could say anything further.

"If you must know…….I'm taking her to the Ocean view Tomorrow………."His eyes flashed evasively, an evil smirk gracing his face…..

"Call it……….a _business_ trip if you will."

Tea couldn't believe what she was hearing. _What the heck was Kaiba thinking? Why on earth did he say that?_ Sure, what he said was technically……….the truth……….. But for one thing, he made it sound as if they were………..as if they were _involved_ or something…….…and secondly he should have known better than to say anything at all in the first place.

She reluctantly forced herself to look at Yami.

He looked as though someone had just thrown cold water over his head.

"What the hell? The ocean view?"

"That's what I said genius, you got a problem with that?"

Yami looked over at Tea, who was biting her lip nervously

"Tea is this true?"

Tea braced herself for the worst.

"Um, Well it's……..it's really not that big of a deal Yami…….it's just……..business."

Kaiba stared at her as she spoke, his anger building steadily, _why the hell was she explaining her self to that asshole?_ _they weren't an item anymore, so why was she so damn nervous about him finding out about their trip tomorrow. _

"Tea you can't be serious…is there something going on between you two, I think I have a right to know!"

His voice was harsh and bitter with anger.  
"….No there isn't anything going on…….I told you its just business."

"Business? Yea… I'm sure."

His sarcasm cut through her like a knife.

He folded his arms angrily, clearly trying to contain his temper.

He turned his attention to Kaiba, a seriously devious look on his face.

"You really are the snake everyone makes you out to be Kaiba."

"Hmph, then I'm more like _you_ than I realize."

Kaiba kept his tone level, but dangerously sharp.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them again.

Kaiba felt his anger growing and he knew that it would only get worse from there. Damn it, why was she acting as if she _had_ to explain herself to him. And why the hell was she even with him in the first place? He wasn't 100 percent sure, but from the way she had broken down in his car the other night, he could tell that Yami was the reason she seemed so depressed lately.

He grit his teeth, the thought of punching Yami square in the jaw popping into his head again………….a welcoming thought no doubt …..But unfortunately that would be pushing it a bit too far on his part…………….at least for now anyway.

Kaiba's patience had just about run out. It was time to get her out of there NOW.

"Let's go Gardner; I've wasted enough of my time here already!"

Yami was clearly losing his cool. He looked at Tea, who was obviously too busy staring at Kaiba to notice him glaring at her. He studied them both as an old suspicion reared itself to the surface again. There was definitely something else going on here, something buried under this little charade.

Yami didn't give Tea the chance to respond.

"Look Kaiba... She's busy; she's not going with you!"

"I don't believe anyone was talking to _you_!"

Yami wasn't one to lose his head but Kaiba had a way of bring out the worst in people…….

Yami immediately stood up from his seat, fire in his eyes

"Don't make me repeat myself Kaiba; SHE'S NOT GOING WITH YOU!"

"And don't make me say the same thing twice….stay out of matters that don't concern you!!"

Listen you arrogant bastard, she's not going anywhere, got it!"  
"I'm her boss and I say she's coming with me, and I'd keep my mouth shut about it if I were you!"

By now the handful of people in the coffee shop were staring apprehensively at them.

Tea looked around nervously feeling traces of heat rushing up to her face. This was getting way out of hand. If she didn't do something fast, there's no telling where this could end up. Both Kaiba and Yami were glaring dangerously at each other, neither showing any sign of backing off.

"…….Wait, stop it you two…….."

Both sets of eyes were focused on her now, making her cringe under the sudden pressure. _Great now what? Was she supposed to just get up and go with Kaiba or stay here with Yami?_ She thought about it carefully. If she stayed with Yami she could risk losing her job and she'd obviously be forced into an argument about the trip tomorrow, he'd never let her hear the end of it……..which would obviously lead to an emotional train wreck… something that she definitely didn't need. She sighed inwardly, there was just too much at risk if she stayed…... Yami wasn't going to take this very well, she knew. It bothered her that she cared... but for some reason she did, his power over her was still undeniably strong. She braced herself for what was coming.

"I………Yami, I'm sorry but I have certain responsibilities to Kaiba now, please understand………I have to go with him."

Yami was obviously shocked at her response. He stared at her, not knowing exactly what he should say next.

Kaiba couldn't help feeling smug; he knew that she would have had to agree sooner or later, his task there was practically done.

"Hmph took you long enough Gardner, come on, let's go."  
Yami smiled bitterly, shaking his head slightly as he stood up from his seat, His eyes averted to Tea's, cold and void, bitter with disgust.

"I thought you were smart enough not to get caught up in _his bullshit_, Tea…."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking away from the table. He glanced at them over his shoulder, fire in his eyes

"This isn't over Tea, not by a long shot."

Tea couldn't hold his stare, she pried her eyes away. She could tell by his tone that he was dead serious.

Kaiba stared daggers after him as he walked out of the coffee shop.

He turned his attention to Tea, who was still sitting down, she looked a bit frightened and upset by what Yami had said to her just now. His anger grew considerably. _Who the hell did that asshole think he was? If he thought he was getting anywhere near her again he was sadly mistaken._

Everyone around them were still staring nervously at them, but neither seemed to notice or care.

"Humph……. that was a complete waste of my time."

Tea looked up at him with weary eyes sighing with defeat as she stood up.

"I thought I finished everything Friday afternoon Kaiba, what exactly do you need to get done?"

Kaiba wasn't exactly sure what he should say to her, his little story about 'important paperwork' was nothing but a spur of the moment lie. Should he let her know his true motives? He couldn't exactly decide, but he was a bit too angry at the whole situation to care about anything else.

"Correct me if I'm wrong……..but I thought you two were over?"  
Tea narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"….We are……."  
"Then what the hell were you doing with him?"

"Excuse me? I don't believe that's any of your business Kaiba."

"It's my business to make sure you're ok for the trip tomorrow, its no secret the kind of effect that asshole has on you and I can't have you backing out of the trip tomorrow because of _him_……Mokuba is counting on you being there, and I'll be damned if you disappoint him."

That wasn't exactly true, he knew, but he needed to at least have a plausible enough reason to excuse his actions. She would be mad at him either way.

"_Effect on me_? And just what kind of _effect_ does Yami have on me?"

Kaiba heard the distress in her voice and knew all too well that this could get out of hand, if he didn't say the right thing. But he also knew that she needed to hear the truth, she might not like it, but he was willing to take the bashing for it.

"You know damn well what effect Gardner, you think I don't notice! It's so damn obvious that he's nothing but bad news for you."

"What?...you have absolutely no right to tell me what's good and what's bad for me……My life is none of your god damn business Kaiba."

Tea glared at him, the hurt in her eyes more visible than she realized.

_Oh Great……Guilt………that's all he needed._

_So that's what this was all about, Kaiba was just trying to get her away from Yami... In other words, sticking his nose in where it didn't belong._

She couldn't believe that he had actually sunk that low, to actually use her job as a crutch for his little game. She grabbed her purse and started walking ahead of him toward the door.

* * *

Tea stepped out of the shop, Kaiba close behind. She folded her arms as she peered through the rain, not seeing anything. She was upset and she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it either. They both stood under the small shelter of the rooftop ridges above them, neither saying a word to the next. Kaiba spared a quick glance at her standing next to him. He silently reassured his himself ……, _he had gotten her away from Yami……_..that's all that mattered. She was mad at him but it was a price he was willing to pay for her. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He whipped it open and pressed a single button with his thumb. 

"Mokuba, tell John to drive up to the entrance, I'm done here"

With that said he flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into his pocket, not saying another word.

Tea could tell by his tone that he was somewhat angry about the situation as well. But why? Why was he getting so involved in her life? It wasn't his place or his responsibility and yet he was acting as if it was. This wasn't the Kaiba she knew back at school. He was different.

Part of her was grateful to him for getting her out of a sticky spot with Yami but the other part of her felt ...angry. But should she really feel that way? He was only trying to help after all, wasn't he? But she knew that her feelings ran deeper than that, she wasn't mad at the fact that he tried to help her, she was mad at the fact that he made her feel weak and not to mention stupid. He had no right interfering like that, he didn't understand the situation, she wanted to deal with it on her own, the way she was used to dealing with everything else in her life…….but he made her feel inadequate, a feeling she despised above all others.

Kaiba tried his best to pry his mind away from the girl standing next to him but to his annoyance he found that he couldn't. It bothered him that she was so upset, and it was really starting to bother him that he actually cared. Just what the hell was happening to him? Had he actually done what he just did? Was he losing his mind? Since when did he act on mere impulse? As the black limo pulled up in front of them his foul mood returned, this time worse than before.

* * *

Mokuba hurriedly opened the door as Tea scrambled inside. 

"Hey Tea……."

"Hi, Mokuba."

Tea didn't even look at him, she scrambled into the limo and took a seat right next to him, she kept her eyes averted to the floor, barley even flashing a smile. She rubbed her arms and tucked some of her wet hair behind her ears. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Seconds later Kaiba had crawled into the other side of the limo, his hair soaking wet, some of it falling over his eyes and covering his expression. Mokuba sensed that something was wrong, but he knew better than to let his curiosity get the better of him. Something obviously happened between Tea and his brother, but he had no clue what. Should he say something? By the looks of it, it was serious, but did that mean their vacation trip was off? He looked at his shoes with a worried expression; he was really looking forward to the trip tomorrow. He decided to take a chance at saying something.

"Um …so Tea, have you packed for the trip yet?" He was smiling brightly at her, hoping to get a positive answer. She turned to look at him, she managed a small smile. What should she say to him? after this little incident, the idea of spending a whole two weeks with Kaiba had even _less_ appeal than it did before…….but as she continued looking at him, the distress in her heart seemed to be slowly melting away.

"Well almost, I still have a few things to pack away though."

He smiled warmly at her, relieved to hear her sounding more like her old self again……and he was glad that their vacation trip was still on too.

* * *

The limo came to an abrupt stop at the front of Tea's apartment building. The rain was still pouring heavily outside, with no sign of stopping. Tea grabbed up her purse and turned to Mokuba, a small smile on her face.

"Bye Mokuba, I'll see you tomorrow ok.……"

"…Wait Tea…."

He reached into the small compartment at the bottom of one of the seats, pulling out an expensive looking umbrella, a warm smile painted over his innocent face

"….You can't go out in that rain without an umbrella, I'll take you upstairs…ok."

Tea smiled back……he was so sweet.

"..Don't worry about it, Mokuba, I'm already half soaked….."

Just then Mokuba felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. He turned to see Kaiba looking intently at him.

"It's ok Mokuba, I'll take her."

Tea felt a bit nervous all of a sudden. She sighed quietly in defeat as she looked at Mokuba who was looking a bit worried.

"Ok, Mokuba………I'll see you tomorrow, and make sure your all packed ok."

Mokuba beamed at her

"Sure thing Tea."

She smiled as she gave him a thumbs up, a bit of her old self floating to the surface again.

* * *

Tea fumbled with the keys to the front door, Kaiba only inches behind her, holding the umbrella above them both, the rain still pouring relentlessly around them. After a few awkward seconds she managed to unlock the door and slowly pushed it open. She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and stepped inside. She felt Kaiba's eyes on her and couldn't help feeling girlishly nervous. _Sheesh, why was he so damn intimidating? _

She turned to face him as she put her keys in the front pocket of her jacket. She reluctantly met his ice blue gaze, urging her self not to show any emotion.

"Thanks"

She was just about to walk away when Kaiba intervened

"….wait…."

Tea spun around to face him again.

"……Look, I wasn't trying to intrude, I was only doing what I thought was best ok."

Tea looked a bit indifferent.

"Kaiba,…….look, don't worry about it ok, I understand."

Kaiba stared down at her, he could see the hurt in her eyes and he was surprised that she was so calm about it. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction.

He felt even worse about the things he said to her now.

He hated that he was being so damn soft but at that moment he didn't really give a damn. She didn't deserve this, any of it. His curiosity about what had happened between her and Yami increased considerably. But he knew now better than to get himself involved, he would only end up hurting her even more in the end.

He sighed inwardly, wishing he could say something to make her feel better.

"…… just try not to read too much into it ok."

"Ok, I won't."

Despite her distraught state of mind, Tea couldn't help feeling butterflies in her stomach as he looked at her. _What the heck, get a grip Tea_. Why did he have to be so damn attractive, it was almost unnerving standing there in front of him.

Kaiba felt his baser instincts taking over again, _shit, what the hell was wrong with him, this wasn't the time or place_. He silently scolded himself.

He decided to say something to cut the tension between them.

"Ok , don't forget, 7:00am sharp in the morning…… and try not to have us waiting too long."

Tea couldn't help the small smile pulling over her lips despite herself. _Same old Kaiba_

"Don't worry I won't"

He flashed a small smile back at her as he turned to walk away.

Tea stared after him for a few seconds before shutting the door. _Did he just smile at her…intentionally_?

She walked slowly toward the elevator, feeling confused. She thought she'd be more upset than this, but to her surprise she wasn't.

As the elevator doors parted, for some reason, all she could think of was Kaiba's smile as he walked away.


	10. Ocean in a bottle

Chapter ten:

Ocean in a bottle 

* * *

Monday 5:45a.m

Tea awoke to the soothing sound of The Dave Mathews Band "Crash" playing softly on the small alarm clock radio sitting on her dresser. She felt reluctant to get out of bed but decided that it was best she got an early start before Kaiba's limo arrived to pick her up at 7:00. She lay silently in bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, enjoying the soft music of one of her favorite bands. The morning was cold and she was starting to feel a bit apprehensive about the trip. She still couldn't fully come to terms with the fact that she was actually going on a vacation with the Kaiba brothers….to the Ocean View no less.

It all seemed so………surreal.

* * *

Kaiba mansion 6:00a.m

Kaiba brought the steaming cup of coffee to his lips and took a light sip. His ocean blue eyes were glued to the computer screen in front of him. He was still trying to get as much work done as he could before having to leave for the trip that morning. He sighed as he put the cup back on the table. He wasn't looking forward to it in the least, he _hated _vacations but there was nothing he could do about that now. He had already made his promise to Mokuba and there was no way that he was going to back out of it…..._no matter how much he wanted to._

As he continued his work, he found that he couldn't concentrate. He didn't have to think hard to know why.

He ran his fingers through his ruffled hair, trying to take his mind off of Tea and the incident that took place the day before. _What the hell was he thinking? Should he really have done what he did? Sticking his nose in her life like that?_

Without warning an image of the night she starting crying in his car flashed across his memory. He replayed the precise moment he had touched her face and wiped a single tear away with his thumb….He remembered the look in her eyes as she looked up at him, the hurt, the frustration, the fear and the uncertainty…..and the feeling within his own heart as he looked back_. Should he really have done it? Yes…. without a doubt…it was the right thing to do, she needed protection and there was a desire within him to offer his…….It wasn't a reason that he understood but it was a reason that he could live with. A reason that was nevertheless strong enough to conquer the greater portion of his guilt._

He sighed quietly as he folded his arms and reclined into the cushioned armchair. He glanced at his watch,6:05am, it was still a bit early. He had already packed everything he needed the night before, specifically to avoid any last minute hassle. Lord knows any further frustration would only prove hazardous to his sanity.

This trip was going to be such a pain in the ass…. he knew it without even thinking. Vacations, especially ones that involved sea and sand never turned out to be good…….at least from his experience. He blew some of his bangs up from his eyes as he tried to overcome his dull anticipation.

Just then the door to his office flung open. Mokuba gushed into the room, overzealous and excited as ever.

Kaiba braced himself for the storm.

"Seto, it's almost 7:00 o'clock and you haven't even gotten dressed yet!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."  
Kaiba ran his hand through his hair, yawning stubbornly.

Mokuba knew his brother all too well, and judging by his response he was in a pretty bad mood right about now. Which of course was no surprise considering what day it was.

Mokuba sighed as he plumped himself onto the couch.

"Come on Seto, at least _try_ to be a _little_ excited."

Kaiba sat up in his chair to resume his work.

"Why the heck would I be excited about wasting a whole 2 weeks of my life at that idiotic resort."

"Well for one thing, it'd be a chance for you to actually relax."

"I don't do _relaxing_."

"But Seto, you need to stop working yourself so hard, it's not healthy and you know it, this vacation is exactly what you _need_."

"Yea about as much as I need flesh eating skin disease."

Mokuba sighed hopelessly.

"But Seto you promised that we'd go, didn't you?"

Kaiba stopped what he was doing to look at his little brother who was looking a bit worried.

"I didn't say we weren't going Mokuba, I'm just in a bad mood ok, so don't worry."

Mokuba breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well in that case Seto, don't you think you should go get dressed now. I mean I know you're in a bad mood, but we'll be late if you don't hurry up."

"……….Ok fine, I'm going."

"Besides big brother, you wouldn't want _Tea_ showing up here and seeing you in nothing but your boxers right." -

Mokuba smiled mischievously as if to hint at something more.

Kaiba caught his intent right away.

"Huh, very funny Mokuba."

He finally got out of his seat and headed upstairs, a small smirk playing on his lips as he thought of what Tea's reaction would be if something like that ever were to happen.

* * *

The morning passed quickly, much to Tea's dismay. She glanced at her watch as she dragged her suitcase out of her apartment and out into the hall.

It was already 7:05. _Oh no, she was going to be late_. She walked briskly toward the elevator, her heavy suitcase rolling along behind her. After a few seconds she finally stopped at the elevator doors. _Darn, how could she have lost track of the time like this, she was hardly ever late for anything. _Sighing heavily she straightened her sun dress and stepped into the elevator, a prominent knot forming at the bottom of her stomach.

* * *

Kaiba Mansion Grounds 7:10am

Kaiba's mood hadn't improved; if anything it was worse than before. He stood next to the jet with his arms folded, his patience running thin.

"Where the hell is she?"

Mokuba looked up at him, with a worried look on his face.

"Seto, she's only 10 minutes late…."

"It wouldn't matter to me if she was half a second late, tardiness is unacceptable!"

He scuffed as he turned to the jet plane steps, the strong wind whipping his hair about his eyes.

"If she doesn't show up here in the next 5 minutes we're leaving without her!"

"But Seto..."

Just then, a black limo pulled up at the far side of the grounds.

Seconds later a nervous looking Tea was running toward them, rolling her luggage behind her, looking cute as ever in her white sun dress.

"Hey you Guys."  
She stopped abruptly in front of them, putting her hand to her chest to catch her breath.

"Sorry I'm late, I lost track of time."

"That's no excuse Gardner, We do have a schedule to keep you know!"

Tea looked up at Kaiba feeling heat rush to her cheeks

"Oh, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to..."

Kaiba didn't give her the chance to finish.

"Fine whatever, lets just go already."

He was already heading up the jetliner stairway.

Tea sighed quietly as she looked at him. She felt bad about her tardiness enough as it was.

"Don't worry about him Tea, you know Seto, he's just in a worse mood than usual today………you need any help with your luggage?"

She smiled cheerily at him.

"No, that's ok Mokuba, I can manage."

"Would you two hurry up already!"

Both Tea and Mokuba looked up to see Kaiba glaring at them from the top of the passage way entrance.

Mokuba rubbed the back of his head as he smiled at his big brother.

"Sorry Seto, we'll be right there"

Kaiba looked at them both with a 'mad enough to kill' look.

Mokuba turned back to Tea.

"Well Tea this is it, our vacation is just a jet ride away."

"Yep, just a jet ride away."

She smiled nervously at him, as she pried her eyes away from a glaring Kaiba.

With that said they all headed up the steps toward the jet liner passenger entrance.

* * *

The jet ride to their seemingly never ending destination was as to be expected. Long and a bit nerve racking. Tea had no idea what to expect from the coming two weeks ahead. Mokuba she could handle, but Kaiba... he was an entirely different story all together.. the one that posed the most concern. W_hat would it be like actually living under practically the same roof as him? _The thought made her agitated.

Finally, after few hours of exasperation they finally reached their destination. The ocean view beach resort...in full view at last!

The jet landed on a private platform seemingly about a mile from the main land. After a short briefing from the pilot they all exited the jet liner. Tea immediately felt the cool ocean air surround her as she followed both Kaiba's onto the platform. She looked around, astonished at the sight. Apparently they were on a very private part of the island, obviously reserved for the insanely rich and famous. _Kaiba fitting perfectly into the status quo._

Seconds later a young man with an expensive but, _in Tea's_ _opinion_, tacky looking business suit approached them from one of security boots along side the jetliner runway. He was wearing an over anxious smile on his face. As he walked toward Kaiba he outstretched his hand in polite expectancy.

"Welcome, welcome Mr Kaiba, Such a pleasure it is to have you here."

Kaiba shook the young mans hand with half hearted respect.

As they broke the handshake the young man immediately switched his attention to Tea who was standing quietly next to Mokuba.

"Well ,Well, and who might this beautiful young lady be?"

His question took Kaiba by surprise… and not a very pleasant one at that.

Tea flushed a bit as she waited for Kaiba to respond, not knowing exactly what to expect.

He cleared his throat before speaking.

"…..This is Miss Tea Gardner, an... employee of mine, she'll be… handling any business ordeals that may crop up while I'm here."

"Oh I see..."  
The young man outstretched his hand to Tea.

"Nice to meet you Miss Gardner, I hope you enjoy your stay here, despite your workload of course."  
Tea smiled back as she shook his hand, feeling a bit amused at Kaiba's response...he obviously didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression about them. _Nicely done_

"I'm sure I will."

"And how are you this morning Mokuba, bet you can't wait to get to the beach."

Mokuba smiled politely.

"You bet sir."

He smiled cheerily at them

He looked at his watch and peered out toward the ocean behind them.

"Well then, I mustn't keep you all waiting any longer, I see the boat's already arrived"

Tea glimpsed behind them. Beyond the runway there was a small pathway of sand bordered on both sides by a row of well kept palm trees. Beyond that….the Ocean, where a small speed boat was waiting on the docks.

"You can head straight to the main land now, Please enjoy your stay with us Mr Kaiba."  
He flashed a winning smile at them as he turned to leave.

Kaiba shoved his hands into his pocket as he started walking toward the pathway.

"Come on, let's go."  
Both Tea and Mokuba immediately followed suit.

* * *

Despite the short but nauseating boat ride, they all managed to get to the mainland with their stomachs still in tact.

They made their way from the docks and through the unbelievably beautiful beach straight on to the hotel. Tea couldn't help gawking at everything in sight. She knew it was going to be picturesque but she never dreamed that it would be this extraordinary.

After a few minutes they finally arrived at the front entrance of the hotel. They all walked into the air conditioned lobby, Kaiba leading the way. Tea followed close behind, trying hard to contain her astonishment. Everyone she noticed, had the words 'I'm filthy rich' practically scribbled in red across their foreheads. Some of them stopped to stare at them apprehensively, more so at her than Kaiba and Mokuba. She swallowed hard, feeling like a pebble among gem stones.

They finally got to the reservation desk where a young woman was smiling brightly at them. It was more than obvious that she was a member of the Seto Kaiba fan club, from the stars in her eyes. _H__ow typica__l_.

"Why Good morning Mr Kaiba, Welcome to the Ocean View beach resort, and may I say what a great pleasure it is to have such a renowned guest at our hotel!"

Kaiba kept his cold demeanor, making it blatantly clear that he couldn't care less.

"We have reservations for three."

The young woman nervously typed in some information onto the computer, smiling when she found what she was looking for.

"Yes of course, three single suits, rooms 107, 108 and 109, three of our very best of course sir."

Kaiba merely scuffed.

The young woman suddenly turned her attention to Tea, as if just noticing her for the first time, her expression changing noticeably.

"...But, of course…….we do have couple suites, if you'd prefer..."

Tea could have sworn she saw Kaiba flinch for an inch of a second.

"If I wanted a god-damned _couple suite_ I would have asked for one, now stop wasting my time and give me the damn keys!"

The young woman seemed stunned into reality.

"...Uh yes sir, pardon me."

She nervously handed him the three key cards, and flipped out the guest registry.

Kaiba angrily scribbled his initials onto the page.

The young woman waited for him to finish before speaking.

"Thank you Mr Kaiba, please enjoy your stay with us."

Her voice trembled a bit as she smiled timidly at him. Kaiba made no attempt at being courteous, he simply picked up his briefcase and stormed away from the desk, meaning for Tea and Mokuba to follow. _Sheesh, did Kaiba have to be so rude to everyone?_

Before turning to leave Tea noticed the young woman staring apprehensively at her. _Great, obviously Kaiba's words didn't quite accomplish what he had intended them too… Great, now she was pretty sure that everyone at the hotel was going to think that she and Kaiba were having some kind of love affair. _She sighed as she walked over to the elevator, trying hard to push her skepticism aside.

* * *

They finally arrived at the 10th floor. Kaiba seemed to be in a seriously rotten mood as he stepped out of the elevator. He headed straight down the well air-conditioned hallway toward the three rooms, Tea and Mokuba following sheepishly behind him. The two bellhops followed close behind them with the suitcases. Tea gaped at her surroundings as per usual. _Even the hallways were exquisite and well put together. _

As they approached the rooms Tea noticed that there were only a total of four rooms on that floor all evenly separated_. The layout gave her the distinct impression that the rooms were extremely large and reserved only for the renowned. _

Mokuba turned politely to the two young bellhops, who seemed star struck in the presence of Kaiba.

"Thanks for your help, but we can take it from here."  
Both young men, smiled politely as they collected their rather generous tip and headed back toward the elevator.

Before any of them could say anything, Mokuba ran over to the door at the end of the hall, Room no.109.

"I want this room Seto."

"Whatever, Mokuba, it doesn't matter which room we get, they're all the same."

"I know Seto, but I just want this one ok."

Something about his tone made Kaiba a bit suspicious, but he was way too irritated to think about anything other than his inevitable doom.

"Fine, just take the key card already."  
Mokuba ran back over to Kaiba and Tea and took the card.

Tea noticed that for some reason Mokuba had a small yet mischievous glint in his eyes.

Mokuba hurriedly grabbed his suitcase and started heading to his room, excited as ever, leaving Kaiba and Tea staring after him. Seconds later he had disappeared into the room.

Tea suddenly felt a pang of awkwardness wash over her as she stood in the hall _alone_ with Kaiba. As he turned to look at her, for some reason she felt even more intimidated than usual.

Before she could say or do anything he handed her one of the key cards without so much as a word.

"Do you need help with that over sized suitcase of yours?"  
Tea tucked some of her hair behind her ears as she looked up at him, trying extremely hard not to blush.

"..Oh, no that's ok; I can manage by myself, thanks."

_God, why did she have to be so nervous around him?_

Kaiba irritably pried his eyes away and turned to the door behind him.

He swiped his card through the lock and opened the door. He left it open and turned to grab his suitcase.

"Well, just so you know, I don't want either of you two bothering me for the rest of the day got it. I have _work_ to do."

Tea stared at him as he walked into the room.

"..oh..ok."  
She watched as he slammed the door behind him, leaving her standing out in the hall feeling stupid.

She sighed hopelessly. _Well, that was Seto Kaiba for you_.

She took her suitcase and dragged it to the room positioned directly between both Kaibas. Room 108.

As she swiped the card through the lock she suddenly realized why Mokuba had chosen the last room. He had made it so that she and Kaiba would be next door to each other no matter what room each of them chose. She smiled to her self as she opened the door. _Pretty sneaky, but amusing nonetheless._

* * *

Tea slowly walked into the room. She gasped at the sight before her. It was the most beautiful room she had ever seen, it was like an excerpt taken straight out of a magazine. Lavish, spacious and practically teeming with luxury. She stood only a few feet from the door, gawking at what was to be _hers_ for the next two weeks. 

After a few seconds, she finally snapped herself out of her stupor. Dragging her suitcase along with her, she walked slowly toward the bed. She let out a breath as she sat down. She still couldn't believe that she was actually at the Ocean view. She studied her surroundings again, everything looked spectacular, form the beautiful flowers that adorned the room to the king sized bed. But the thing that she loved the most was the wide set balcony extending from the bedroom over looking the vast ocean. She could sea the view perfectly from where she sat on the bed. She smiled as she walked over to the sliding door and stepped out onto the veranda, feeling the cool, salty air rush past her face. As she gazed at the marvelous scenery she felt a welcoming sense of tranquility, something she hadn't felt for a long time. She walked toward the railing and touched the cold steel with the tips of her fingers. _If only moments like this lasted forever._

* * *

Kaiba's mood hadn't improved. His suitcase was already opened, most of his belongings already unpacked. He was no stranger to the finer things in life so he wasn't all that impressed by anything in particular but he had to admit that the view from his room was spectacular, even by his standards. He walked over to the balcony to get a closer look. He could see the beach from there, a handful of people were scattered across the sand, a few in the shallow areas of the water. He scuffed as he looked at them..._what a bunch of idiots._ He headed back into the bedroom, feeling irritated. He wondered what Mokuba was doing and if he was already unpacked. Knowing his little brother, he probably was. .As he took off his coat, without warning his mind suddenly shifted to Tea. It was a bit strange having her with them on one of their vacations, but for some reason he didn't mind in the least, in fact he was actually, for lack of a better word, _glad_ about it; Especially if he could keep her away from that son of a bitch ex boyfriend of hers. He hung his coat on the brass hanger protruding from one of the walls.

* * *

Mokuba stuffed his face with one of the chocolate chip cookies he had stuffed into his suitcase the night before. He sat at the edge of his bed, feeling childishly over excited. He had a lot of high hopes for the coming two weeks. Despite his brother's stubbornness he knew he had to find some way to pry him away from his lap top for the time they were there, other wise the trip would have been for nothing. Knowing Seto, he would keep himself locked in his hotel room for most of the time they were there. It was going to be difficult, he knew, but luckily Tea was there and maybe both of them could find a way for Seto to relax. As he stuffed another cookie into his mouth, a small smile played over his mouth….. _besides he knew his brother had feelings for Tea, contrary to what he led everyone to believe. _

Just then, before he could reach for another cookie there was a blood curdling scream from the room next door.

_Huh, was that Tea?_

He hurriedly ran over to his door and flung it open. Within seconds Kaiba had done the same.

They both ran over to Tea's room.

Before either of them could make a move, the door flung open and a timid, slightly pale looking Tea hurriedly dashed out. Not expecting anyone to be standing outside her door, she crashed straight into Kaiba almost throwing him completely off balance.

Luckily he wasn't one to loose his footing; he caught her in his arms and held her to him before either of them could fall. He looked down at her feeling a bit flushed.

"Gardner, what the hell…."

She didn't give him the chance to finish.

"Oh my God, there's a huge lizard thing out on the balcony!!"

"You can't be serious, _that's_ why you were screaming like a banshee?! Because of some stupid little lizard?."

Tea suddenly felt her senses return, only then realizing that Kaiba actually had his arms around her.

For a second she seemed to have forgotten what she was trying to say. She felt the heat rising to her face and immediately wished that she could sink into the ground. _What was wrong with her, why was she getting so damn worked up?_

Kaiba noticed the look of girlish astonishment on her face. Without wanting to seem obvious he casually let her go, trying hard not to turn red himself.

Tea finally seemed to get a hold of herself. She responded quietly.

"It…It's not little, it was huge and….. _Green_."  
She shuddered at the thought and clenched her arms as if she were cold.

"Don't worry Tea; I'll get rid of it for you."

Mokuba ran into the room, leaving Kaiba and Tea staring after him. Kaiba folded his arms as he stared down her.

"Damn it Gardner, do you have to be so _dramatic_ about everything?"

"I, I wasn't being dramatic, there was a disgusting lizard about an inch away from my feet….it was…. just a reflex action to scream…."

Despite his rotten mood he couldn't help noticing just how cute she looked with that scared expression on her face.

He sighed hopelessly; _great... they haven't even been there for more than 10 minutes and already his thoughts were turning to mush over her._

He ran a hand through his hair as he followed Mokuba into the room, leaving Tea standing safely out in the hall.

After a few minutes and about five crashing sounds later she heard Mokuba shouting from inside the room.

"It's ok now Tea, you can come in."

Tea cautiously cracked the door open and peered inside.

"Are you sure Mokuba?"

"Yea, I caught it, well me and Seto did and we let it go free on one of the trees outside."

"oh, ook."  
She closed the door behind her and slowly walked over to the bedroom.

Kaiba was just now stepping out of the veranda and into the bedroom.

"The big scary lizard's gone now ok. So you can stop bothering everyone with your melodrama."

His sarcastic tone didn't bother her in the least, she was too busy staring out at the balcony.

"Are you guys sure it's gone?"  
Mokuba folded his arms importantly,

"Yep, positive, I made sure it was gone before I came back in."

She sighed a sigh of relief as she sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

"Oh man...I hate lizards, I wasn't expecting to find that sort of thing in a place like this."

"Get a clue Gardner, Just cause it's a five star hotel doesn't mean that they scan the entire beach for lizards...You're bound to find that sort of thing no matter where you go."

Tea pouted as she looked at a disgruntled Kaiba

"….Well maybe they should start."

Kaiba smirked mischievously at her despite his foul mood.

"Why? The lizards are perfect for all the spiders around here."

Tea gasped at the word spider, much to Kaiba's amusement.

"Very funny Kaiba, I'm glad you can find humor at my expense."

Mokuba suddenly looked as though he had thought of something spectacular.

"Hey you guys, I have a great idea! Why don't we all go down to the pool?"

Kaiba scuffed as he turned to walk out of the room, his foul mood getting the best of him.

"Humph, you're kidding right? What makes you think I'd even want to go any where _near_ that stupid pool?"

Mokuba's face dropped. He ran in front of Kaiba before he could walk out into the hall.

"Please Seto, just this once; I thought you said you were going to try to relax?"  
Kaiba folded his arms as he looked down at his brother.

"And when exactly did I say that? Please refresh my memory, because I don't recall ever saying anything about relaxing, the only thing I agreed to do was take you here. I never said anything about what _I _was going to do."

Mokuba looked up at his brother pleadingly.

"But Seto..."

"Mokuba, you know how I feel about the beach, or any kind of idiotic water activities...so I would appreciate it if you stop throwing those puppy dog eyes at me...it's not gonna work."

Mokuba finally gave up knowing how incredibly stubborn his brother was when it came to things of this nature. He stepped aside and let out a long sigh as Kaiba walked past him.

Tea noticed the upset expression on Mokuba's face.

She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Mokuba, it's only the first day, just give him some time ok, he'll come around."

"I don't think so Tea, my brother's one of the most stubborn people on the face of this planet, he doesn't even realize that he's working himself to death."

Tea didn't like seeing him so worried.

She sighed heavily before responding.

"Well, I guess we have no choice then."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll just have to take matters into our own hands."  
She winked mischievously at him.

"Oh, I like the way you think."

He beamed up at her excitedly.

Tea smiled back, glad to see him cheer up a bit. But she couldn't help the nauseous feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. _What the hell was she getting herself into?_

* * *

Kaiba stared out at the beach as he stood out on the veranda. He folded his arms and sighed angrily. He wanted so much to just storm out of that damn hotel and get back to his regular routine. He had a company to run for god's sake. _Well at least he brought his lap top with him, he could still at least get some work done….and at least Tea was safe and sound under his watchful eye……_

_Huh? Where the hell did that come from? Couldn't he go at least a day without thinking about her? _He sighed angrily as he stormed into his room, thinking about his two weeks of inevitable doom.He headed straight to the mini bar/kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and chugged it down. _Maybe he was working himself up about this stupid vacation too much. _He reassured himself that he was only over reacting. _It would be just like a regular business trip…..wouldn't it?_.

* * *

Tea sat on the edge of her bed, her suitcase almost completely empty. She took the last of her clothes out and folded them neatly, before putting them away in the chest of drawers next to her bed. Mokuba had left her room only a few minutes before. She still felt nauseous thinking about her little proposition to help Kaiba relax for the time that they were there. Why did she have to be so damn soft?... the very thought of it made her nervous. She closed the drawer and sank down onto her bed. She lay on her back staring up at the ceiling trying not to anticipate the worst.

_This was going to be one heck of a long vacation._

* * *


	11. Open & Shut Case

Chapter Eleven:

Open & Shut Case

* * *

Kaiba lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. His mind was a muddle of utter confusion and anger.

_Why the hell was he even there?_

He sighed helplessly as he reminded himself of the reason.

It was for Mokuba that he endured this torment. But unlike any other, this was a torment that he was willing to endure, for his brother's sake. Mokuba was everything that mattered to him and he would be more than willing to go an extra mile just to make him happy.

He shifted over onto his side and stared out at the moonlit sky through the screen door which led out to the veranda. He grabbed a pillow and pressed it over his face.

_He knew exactly__w__hy__ he was there, but that didn't change the fact that he __was__ the__re_. It wasn't his fault that he hated the beach with a special kind of loathing.

His mind shifted again. And to make matters worse, Yami's cheerleader was there with them. To think that he was actually on a vacation with a genuine member of the geek squad. What was happening to the natural order in his life? He dismissed the thought of Yami and his annoying friends as fast as he could manage, in an effort to retain some of the sanity he still possessed. One member however remained etched clearly in his mind, and he was having a hard time dismissing her as easily as he did the rest.

_Tea Gardner_.

She was all that remained within the confinement of his troubled thoughts.

He had asked himself over and over, why he was feeling the way he felt; but he couldn't seem to give himself an honest answer. _Why was she always on his_ _mind? _

Ever since the day she started working for him, he started developing these strange feelingstoward her. At first he thought it was just the sensation of seeing an old face after so long, but after everything that happened between them, now he wasn't so sure. The feelings were new to him and he couldn't decipher what he should make of them. Was he starting to……… No, that couldn't be it, that was absolutely ridiculous. He cleared his mind of the thought.

He sighed again, feeling his anger getting the better of him.

He wasn't getting any answers from himself that was clear; he knew he was too stubborn to admit anything of the sort.

But nevertheless, something had to be done about this.

He made up his mind as he pulled the pillow off his head and closed his eyes, letting the sleepiness wash over him.

He would use this vacation to his advantage. He would find out once and for all, if his feelings for Tea were exactly what he thought they were.

* * *

Tea awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. Despite the unexpected run in with the lizard yesterday, things had gone pretty well for their first day at the hotel. She had unpacked her things in a flash and managed to put everything in its place before heading down to the pool with Mokuba.

Kaiba of course wanted nothing to do with them for the rest of the day. Instead, he locked himself in his room for the rest of the afternoon, claiming that he wouldn't step foot anywhere near the pool or the beach for the remainder of their stay there.

Both she and Mokuba didn't take him too seriously knowing fully well that he was just being the same old stubborn CEO that everyone knew and loved. They knew they would eventually find a way to get him out of his room sooner or later.

Unfortunately, Tea had the feeling that that would be solely her job.

She yawned like she never yawned before, feeling more rested than she ever felt in her life. She got off the bed and headed out to the veranda, wanting to get a first glimpse of the ocean at the crack of dawn. The sight was absolutely breath taking. The white sand sparkled with the fistful of light from the morning sun; contrasting brilliantly against the sleek blue stretch of ocean.

Breathing in the cool air, Tea closed her eyes against the overwhelming calm.

_If only her life outside the walls of this serene paradise were as beautiful as this_.

* * *

Tuesday:

Ocean view Hotel

Kaiba's Room 

9:06AM

"What the hell?"

Kaiba awoke feeling robbed of the best sleep in his life. His anger immediately rushed to the surface.

He got out of bed and headed to the door in nothing but his boxer shorts, not giving a damn about appearances.

He swung open his door and found himself staring down at a nervous hotel attendant.

He was standing behind a breakfast cart, topped with an array of breakfast dishes.

Kaiba frowned instinctively, knowing fully well that he hadn't ordered any breakfast that morning.

He opened his mouth to say something clearly unpleasant, but before he could utter a word, a lively brunette popped in next to the terrified hotel attendant.

She looked up at him with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster under so much pressure.

'… Good morning Kaiba…….. I thought I'd help you start your day right, with a hearty breakfast.'

Kaiba stood frozen in his doorway, staring at Tea who was now busily ushering the attendant inside his room, forcing him to move aside.

"Gardner? What the hell….?"

She led the attendant straight into the bedroom, trying her best to ignore Kaiba for the time being.

After leaving the cart of food the attendant bowed politely to them both and hurriedly left the room, leaving Kaiba and Tea alone inside the bedroom.

Tea swallowed hard as she only then realized the predicament that she was in. It was such a spur of the moment decision that she didn't have time to contemplate the repercussions.

She stood silently by the cart of food trying to disguise her utter terror as she looked up at Kaiba who was glaring at her in nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts.

The tension was thick around them and either of them said a word for a few seconds.

Kaiba was the one that spoke first,

"What the hell do you think you're doing, ordering me breakfast? I don't remember asking you to do anything of the sort!! If I wanted breakfast I would have ordered it myself!"

Tea couldn't seem to open her mouth to speak; her heart was pounding for some reason. Him standing there like that, the sight made her nostalgic. He was so beautiful, his eyes seemed even bluer than before and his body was so perfectly chiseled.

_Geez! Snap out of it!!_

"I…….I'm sorry, I just wanted you to have a good breakfast, and you……..you hadn't eaten anything since we got here so I thought…"

As she spoke Kaiba found himself getting lost in her words and the sound of her voice. His feelings were acting up again; they were undeniably more intense than before. 

_What_ _the hell was she doing to him?_  
He cut her off before she could finish, he knew how hard it must be for her to stand there and say those things to him. especially with his temper flaring the way that it was.

"….Ok, fine, I get the picture, no need to babble on like that."

He walked over to the cart and folded his arms. He looked at the breakfast layout with intense scrutiny.

"Hmm, not bad, you've got good taste."

Tea, surprised by his comment, smiled sincerely at him.

"Thanks."

Tea tried in vain to slow her heart rate.

_Why was she acting this way? It's not like she was one of his fan girls or something._

Kaiba scuffed as he turned his attention back to her.

"..I'll let this one go for now Tea, but if anything like this happens again, I won't be so lenient got it?"

"Ok, I understand..."

She headed toward the door and stopped.

"..Um Kaiba?"  
"What?"

"Well, I was just wondering, will you be hanging out with me and Mokuba today?"

Kaiba scoffed again, trying hard to hide his true feelings.

"Didn't I make it perfectly clear that I wasn't going anywhere near that stupid Beach?"  
"Well Yeah but, I mean for Mokuba's sake, he's worried about you, he wants you to relax more."

"I don't need to be on the damn beach to relax you know. I can relax just fine in here!"

Tea sighed as she headed to the doorway. She turned to look back at him before leaving.

"Please, Kaiba, just try to understand the way your brother feels ok- and… he's not the only one who's concerned about you."

With that said she left the room, leaving Kaiba staring after her.

_Did she just say that she was concerned about him?_

Kaiba stood frozen for a half a minute his mind buzzing with a million assumptions.

He smirked to himself as he regained his composure.

He took one of the blueberry waffles from the dish closest to him on the tray and took a bite, surprised by the succulent taste. It was definitely time to have these questions in his mind answered once and for all.

* * *

Tea shut the door behind her, her heart still racing.

_Why did she say that?_ _It was as if she had no control over what was coming out of her mouth just now._

She took a deep deliberate breath as she headed to her room trying to regain her composure. Maybe being impulsive about this wasn't a very good idea. It was Seto Kaiba that she was dealing with after all. He wasn't exactly your typical everyday guy. It wasn't even the fact that he was a celebrity, it was his very aura that was intimidating, - and the fact that he was ridiculously good looking didn't help the situation either.

Within the safety of her room Tea pressed her back against her door, cursing her self for her irrational tendency to act without thinking. She put her hand to her chest, feeling the rapid beating of her heart.

She needed to find a way to get past this ridiculous school girl syndrome.

She took another deep breath and walked into the bedroom; willing her emotions away. _Where was this coming from? Could it be the fact that they've been through so_ _much_ _lately?_ He was still the arrogant bastard that he always was, but there was something different about him- Or maybe it was something that was always there, and maybe she just never noticed it before. All those years ago when he saved her life in Battle City…it was enough to make her see his hidden side….His compassionate side. But her love for Yami blinded her to all other truths.

But she was a damaged woman now, how could she allow her self to feel so deeply for another person again? Despite her growing affection for him, she couldn't subject herself to such horrible pain ever again.

She sat at the edge of her bed and stared at the floor.

She couldn't deny that she cared for him, but there was nothing stronger than her resolve to protect her heart.

She promised herself with sincerity that her feelings would not become a danger to her.

* * *

11:00AM

Pool Area:

Bar Stall

Mokuba took a long hard slurp of his orange juice.

"Hey, take it easy, you'd think you were drunk or something"

Tea smiled brightly at Mokuba, who was busy ordering another cold glass of orange juice.

"Mokuba, there are a lot of other more exciting drinks here you know, and they're all free, why don't you try something else?"

"Are you kidding? Have you tried their orange juice before, it's the best I've ever had!"

Tea shook her head and smiled enjoying her company all too well.

The warm breeze was soothing against her skin. The bar was situated a few feet away from the pool, decorated with an assortment of exotic foliage, giving it an exquisite Caribbean flare.

She had decided to tie her hair up into a pony tail due to the humidity.

Her beach wardrobe was in a word pathetic to say the least but she still managed to put together something presentable enough to be seen by the eyes of such high society on lookers.

She had decided on a baby pink two piece bathing suit complimented by a cute wrap skirt that she had bought a few years ago when she was still living at home.

The simple assortment must have been a good choice, since she attracted quite a bit of attention when she and Mokuba were heading to the bar. She decided it must have been because they were curious about Kaiba's entourage.

"So I take it, my brother isn't coming down today either?"

Tea sighed as she took a sip of her chocolate martini.

"Well, I didn't really get an official answer from him, he just sort of yelled at me like he usually does."

They looked at each other and laughed, thinking about the breakfast incident earlier that morning.

"Nice attempt Tea but my brother's the most stubborn person I know."

"Yea, well it was worth a try, but don't worry, we'll get 'im next time."

They continued laughing to themselves, trying to think of other ways to get Kaiba to come out of his room.

Suddenly Tea noticed a trio of girls gasping and pointing in the direction of the pool. Instinctively she turned in her seat to see just what they were so excited about.

Her eyes widened as she saw the last person she was expecting to see walking toward them from beyond the other side of the pool.

"Huh? Is that….Kaiba?"

Mokuba spun around immediately at the mention of his brother's name.

He smiled and waved at his brother indicating to him where they were seated.

Tea turned back to the bar and tried to keep her butterflies at bay. _What was he doing there? She wasn't expecting him to actually show up! Her guard was completely off!_

She prayed that she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Kaiba finally got to the bar, ignoring the attention he was attracting from everyone around him like it was second nature.

Tea turned to him casually keeping a steady grip of her drink.

"Hmm, funny seeing you here."

She was glad she could still keep her voice neutral; she would have died if her feelings were betrayed by her speech patterns.

"Whatever, I only came down here because I found Mokuba's cell phone on the floor. It's been ringing every 10 minutes. Someone named Rebecca keeps calling. It's annoying the hell out of me!"

He handed the phone to Mokuba, who seemed delighted upon hearing the information he just received.

"Um, thanks Seto……..I'll be right back you guys"

Without another word he sped off toward the hotel, leaving Tea & Kaiba staring after him.

A few seconds later, Tea only then realized that she was once again alone with Seto Kaiba. She bit her lip, expecting him to head back up to the hotel. To her dismay however, he took a seat next to her on the stool that Mokuba was sitting on previously.

She felt extremely uncomfortable, especially with the assortment of female eyes that were glaring at her from every angle.

"Well, well getting used to the good life are we?"

The bantering sarcasm in his voice was all too familiar to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"I'm not! I'm just trying to enjoy our vacation you jerk!"

"Now is that any way to talk to your boss."

With a pout, Tea turned to face the bar counter, taking another sip of her drink, trying in vain to ignore the incredibly hot CEO sitting next to her.

With her eyes averted, Kaiba took the opportunity to get a good look at his flustered employee.

She was obviously blissfully unaware of just how stunning she looked. He had a hard time _not_ looking at her. He noticed a few other guys were having the same trouble. For some reason that irritated him a lot more than it should.

"So, did you actually eat your breakfast this morning? Or did you just throw it out the window?"

Tea willfully attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction.

Kaiba scoffed as he ordered a drink from the bar tender, much to Tea's surprise.

"Unfortunately no, I was hungry."

Tea smiled, grateful that he didn't make her feel bad about it.

"So how come you're not marching back up to your room? I thought relaxing wasn't your thing?"

"Who said I was relaxing? I'm just sitting here talking to my over emotional secretary, what's so relaxing about that?"

Tea took a sip of her drink, forcing herself not to smile, for the sake of her own self-respect.

"Whatever………and I'm not over emotional."

"Sure you're not."

Tea couldn't help herself, she couldn't blame him, he's practically seen every side of her for all the years that they've known each other.

Suddenly Tea's cell phone started ringing from inside her bag.

Kaiba took a sip of his drink so as to give her some privacy, but for some reason he noticed that she wasn't even making an attempt to answer her phone.

"Aren't you going to get that?"

There was a definite change in her expression as she shook her head.

"..No don't worry, it's no body important."

"Well if you're not going to answer could you at least turn it off?"

She automatically reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. Before she cancelled the call, Kaiba managed to get a clear glimpse of the name flashing across the display screen.

His mood suddenly took a nose dive.

They sat in silence for a few seconds until Kaiba's aggressiveness got the better of him.

"Why the hell is that asshole still calling you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Drop the act already, I know it was him!"

"Kaiba, I thought we've already talked about this, I don't want you butting in to my personal life!"

"In case you haven't noticed, you are my business!"

Tea's heart skipped a beat at his words.

"I'll be damned if you get a nervous breakdown because of him, you're on my payroll remember."  
Although his words were partially true, the whole truth remained hidden.

"A nervous breakdown? Why the hell would I have a nervous breakdown?"

Although they were practically whispering to each other, they were still attracting a lot of unwanted attention. They were after all bickering back and forth like an old married couple. Kaiba not wanting them to make the morning tabloids decided to take their little 'discussion' somewhere more discrete. Lord knows he wasn't through telling her off yet. The situation with Yami was getting on his last nerve.

He took a calming breath and cleared his face of any emotion.

"Come on, let's go."

"What? Go where?"

"Just follow me, and try not looking so red in the face for god's sake."

She decided that it was best not to argue with him any further, she had learned that it was a futile premonition.

She willed herself to appear as secretarial as possible as she calmly took her bag from off the bar counter and obediently followed Kaiba out of the pool area. She kept her eyes forward so as to avoid the nasty stares. She still however managed to get a glimpse of a pair of girls practically trying to murder her with their eye contact. _Sheesh, if looks could kill she'd be a mutilated corpse by now._

She had no idea where Kaiba was taking her but she followed without a word of objection.

Finally she noticed a small hutch located in a private section of the beach a little distance from the pool.

It was surrounded by palm trees and the same sort of exotic plant life she had noticed inside the bar.

They made their way up the stone steps and across the pathway until they were at their supposed destination.

Once inside the hutch, she was able to appreciate its beauty even more. The beach was clearly visible but they were sectioned off from all the other guests.

There was a single wooden table at the center and a pair of long benches on the either side. She assumed the privacy would come in useful to business tycoons who had a hard time putting their laptops down; a perfect place for the disgruntled CEO standing next to her.

She put her bag on the table and folded her arms.

"Kaiba, what's the matter with you, why do you keep insisting on sticking your nose into my business?"

"I already told you why! I don't like repeating myself!"

Tea sighed hopelessly as she slumped onto one of the benches, not knowing what else to say.

Kaiba glared down at her, all the while trying to stop himself from getting lost in how attractive she looked.

Just then her phone started ringing again.

"I thought I told you to take off your god damn phone!"

"What the hell? Just because I work for you now, doesn't mean you own me!! '

"…..If you don't do something, I will, so if you don't want me to give that son of a bitch a piece of my mind, you better switch it off right now!!"

Tea irritably obeyed, feeling angry at herself for complying without so much as an objection.

As she switched her cell phone off, she looked up at Kaiba with woeful eyes.

Her expression practically killed him. He wanted so much to make her smile, seeing her so tainted was the last thing he wanted for her. But what should he do?

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Tears were welling up in her eyes as she spoke, so delicately that he could barely hear her. Before he knew what was happening she had already gotten up from her seat and was heading out of the hutch.

Before she could make another step however, he grabbed her by the wrist and gently pulled her toward him. Tears were already flowing down her rosy checks.

Before she could protest he pulled her into his embrace and held her to him so that he didn't have to look into her eyes, too afraid that they might betray his feelings.

"I'm sorry if I'm hurting you"

His voice was a little above a whisper but she had no trouble hearing him from the proximity of his mouth to her ear.

Tea's heart pounded in her chest, and she hoped he wouldn't feel the effect he was having on her.

Kaiba felt her body tremble against his, making his self control slip further.

"This vacation isn't just for me and Mokuba, it's for you too. I want you to forget everything while you're here…"

Tea felt her strength leave her body. She felt so safe in Kaiba's arms that she felt she could stay there forever.

"I don't know how… to…forget."

She spoke through her sobbing, finding herself gripping onto him as if she would disappear if she let go. It felt as if someone had opened a large valve within her and a lifetime of pain was about to gush out all at once. She used every ounce of strength left in her to contain her self.

"You have to try, you have to let go of the past."

Kaiba rubbed her back, trying his best to comfort her, not giving a damn about anything else. For some reason, the world around them seemed so far away.

'I'm so sorry….I'm sorry that I'm so…weak."

"You're not! You're not weak at all. Stop telling yourself that you are. If he hurts you, you just need to let him go."

Kaiba couldn't believe how fragile she had become. She felt overwhelmingly vulnerable in his arms. Whatever doubts he had in his mind at that moment were suddenly gone completely. He was falling for her, and he was falling badly – but he knew he couldn't let her see, not yet at least. It would be too much for her, and the last thing he wanted was to cause her anymore distress.

He felt her breathing become more deliberate as if she were trying to calm down. He allowed her to slowly loosen her grip on him. As she wiped her eyes she stepped a few inches backward.

"If only it were so easy..."

Kaiba's arms were still around her as she spoke.

"If you want, I could hire someone to take him out for you."

He was relieved to see her smile despite the tears running down her checks. They were both vaguely aware of the position they were in.

"You must be really tired of having to deal with a secretary who has a nervous breakdown every day."

"Of course not, this kind of thing happens all the time…It's so hard to find good help these days."

He spoke so tenderly that Tea couldn't help herself blushing. She appreciated the fact that he was trying to make her feel better, the gesture was more than welcome in her present state of mind. As she dried her tears however she slowly began slipping back to reality. A reality in which she was actually wiping her tears in Seto Kaiba's arms. _Why hadn't he let go of her yet? And why wasn't she stepping away from him?_

But before either of them could react, a zealous teenaged voice interrupted.

"Uh… am I interrupting something? Because I can leave, it's not a problem for me."

Both of them were surprised to see Mokuba standing a few feet away from them, arms folded with a smirk on his face.

"Uh Mokuba…it's not…"

Kaiba jumped in before Tea's emotions could take control of her again, casually letting her go; so as not to seem too conspicuous.

"…And where were you? What's up with that Phone call? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Kaiba's desperate and pathetic attempt to change the subject actually seemed to work as Mokuba's smirk suddenly disappeared from his face.

"Uh no, it's nothing, that was just a friend."

He suddenly couldn't hold their gaze anymore as he turned a brighter shade of red than Tea.

Kaiba willingly jumped at the opportunity to escape home free….at least for now.

"Right, You and I need to have a little heart to heart later."

Mokuba turned his attention to Tea, who flushed under his gaze, knowing that her face must still be red from all of her crying.

"Yea…definitely..."

Kaiba understood exactly what his tone meant. He sighed knowing he had just dug his own grave.

* * *

The rest of the day managed to go by without incident. The three of them all decided to head down to the beach to have a swim - Kaiba of course keeping clear of the water, instead he sat in the sand looking at them from the shore with an incredibly annoyed expression on his face. He had decided to tag along with them for Mokuba's sake...and also because he wanted to keep an eye on Tea. He didn't like the way some of the guys were ogling her. As he sat alone, uninterrupted, he had plenty of time to think about certain things. He looked at Tea laughing and having a good time with Mokuba. From looking at her at that moment no one would believe that she was hiding so much pain inside of her. Her smile was so beautiful, how could anyone destroy such a thing? He wanted to protect her, seeing her unhappy was tearing him apart. He wondered what had happened between her and Yami to make her so fragile.

Eventually, she would open up to him; eventually he would know the root of all her sadness. Until then he could only try his best to keep her away from the darkness in her life.

He had finally come to terms with the fact that he had feelings for her, and they were growing. He sighed as he thought of his predicament. Despite all the walls he had built up around himself, she had managed to break all of them down without a single effort.

But despite what he felt, his resolve remained unchanged. He would keep it locked away for now. If anything at all was to come of this, it would happen when she was ready for it.

* * *

.


	12. A glimpse of heaven

Chapter Twelve:

A Glimpse of Heaven

* * *

Tuesday  
9:00pm

Tea allowed her entire body to relax as she took pleasure in the luxury of a soothing bubble bath.

She sighed deeply as she thought about the horrendous events that had taken place earlier that day- _Once again she_ _had managed to make a complete fool of herself in front of_ _Kaiba_. She also noticed with great despondency that it was becoming a habit of hers to fall apart whenever she was alone with him.

She bit her bottom lip as she let herself sink deeper into the bubbles, her mind drifting into forbidden territory.

Despite everything that happened however, the one thing she couldn't seem to forget was the blissful sensation of Kaiba's powerful embrace. Even the smell of his cologne was intoxicating. A woman, if she wasn't careful, could very easily die in those arms of his. She blushed to herself, trying in vain to stop but found that she couldn't. She gave herself the freedom to be a girl for a few more minutes until she could regain some control over her good sense.

She let her head rest back against the ceramic tub, her body completely submerged within the pool of suds. She stared out into the night sky through the bathroom window, her mind lost in thought again.

…But in spite of everything she was going through at that point in her life, for some reason he always seemed to be there when she needed to fall to pieces.

_Did he actually care for her that way? Or did he really see her as nothing more than an incompetent secretary who needed to be kept under his thumb?_ Somehow the later explanation didn't seem to hold up well under the circumstances.

_But he couldn't really have feelings for her? Why would he? He was Seto Kaiba_.

She dismissed the thought, deciding that it was too absurd to even ponder.

As she steadied her thoughts her eyes fell onto a small jewel box sitting on the undersized table next to the tub. There was a golden chain overlapping the edges. Her heart instantly remembered the person attached to the memories which the locket represented.

_Why_ _was he still contacting her?_

She huffed as she sat up in the tub, feeling a spell of depression wash over her.

_Why couldn't he just leave her alone?_

_And why after so long, was he trying to patch things up between them? _She just couldn't understand. _The things he had said to her before she left, isn't this exactly what he wanted?_

_Why was he trying to become a part of her life again?_

She wanted to stop herself from thinking about the situation all together….but she knew that would only prove to be a temporary interlude. She knew sooner or later she would have to face him again-and when that time came, she hoped she would find the strength within herself to finally let him go.

* * *

Wednesday  
8:00am

Kaiba leisurely closed his laptop, trying to fight off the drowsiness in his eyes. He had decided to get some work done that night so he could keep himself informed of the situation at Kaiba Corp while he was away. Apparently things were running efficiently enough for the time being. Of course he had only been away for a couple of days; he would have to check in ever so often to make sure things were kept up to speed.

Feeling satisfied with the work he put in, he headed over to the mini bar to make himself a cup of coffee, hopefully that would break his spell of exhaustion.

He looked at the small clock on the wall as he poured the milk.

When he finished, he headed into the bedroom to clear his head. It was spinning with thoughts that shouldn't be there.

The incident with Tea was practically driving him insane. He couldn't seem to shake the memory of her falling apart in his arms. She was so fragile and vulnerable.

_What on earth happened to her back in Domino?_

He sat at the edge of the bed and put his smoking cup of coffee on the night stand. He had finally come to terms with his feelings; he had accepted them, despite the stubbornness in his mind urging him on to deny it.

_But what was to come of his feelings for her?_ He knew he couldn't act on them for her sake…._But what about him? What about his needs-his desires? Would he be able to keep such a thing bottled up inside of him for so long? _

He ran his hand through his hair, feeling the first stages of frustration overshadowing him like a desolate cloud. At this point he had no idea what he was going to do; and not knowing made him uneasy. He shook his head losing his desire for the coffee. Instead, he headed straight for the bathroom. Maybe a cool shower would wash away his uncertainty.

* * *

Mokuba scattered an assortment of paperback brochures onto the bed. He eagerly sifted through them with precise interest. Apparently the hotel had added a few new activities to their roster since the last time that he was there.

In addition to the various tours of the island, there were also a number of private excursions available as well. The wheels in his head turned like clockwork. He smiled to himself as a combination of ideas popped into his mind all at once.

* * *

Tea stood in front of the half empty wardrobe in nothing but a baby blue bath robe, her hair dripping wet from her morning shower. She hadn't gotten any word from Mokuba as to where they were going that morning so she wasn't exactly sure what she should put on.

Just then there was a knock on her door.

She wrapped the robe around herself and tied the sashes.

She headed to the door and cautiously cracked it open.

Mokuba was smiling up at her with a white pamphlet in his hand.

"Oh, Hi Mokuba, what's up?"

"Hey Tea, is it ok if I come in? Or should I come back later?"

"No, its ok."

She opened the door and moved aside so Mokuba could enter. As soon as they were inside Tea folded her arms and looked at him suspiciously.

"Hmm, by the look on your face, I take it you found something interesting."

Mokuba grinned and handed her the brochure.

She scanned the details for a few seconds and looked back at him with eager eyes.

"A private yacht?"

Mokuba scratched his head, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh, I guess that is a bit boring…but I thought that…"

"Boring? Are you kidding? That sounds wonderful! I've never been on a yacht before!"

Mokuba beamed at her words, relieved that he had managed to make the right choice.

"Really? Well great! I'll go make the arrangements and you go tell my brother ok."

Tea's smile suddenly vanished as she felt herself shrink with mortification. After what had happened yesterday between her and Kaiba, she had been trying her best to avoid direct contact with him.

"Um...Well, can't you go tell him when you're finished?"

She sounded more like she was pleading than making a suggestion.

"Well it would be better if he knew now, you know how stubborn he can get…and I really want him to come."

"Oh…ok."

Her voice was small and apprehensive.

Mokuba looked up at her with a deliberate frown.

"…Tea, did something happen between you and my brother?"

She was caught off guard by his directness.

"No, of course not…"

She opened her mouth to elaborate but she couldn't seem to add anything more. _Great! Could she be any less convincing? _

Mokuba shrugged deciding that it was best to pretend that he wasn't interested in the whole truth.

"Oh ok… Well I'll go down to the lobby to book our schedule, when you're finished getting dressed you can go tell my brother ok… don't worry Tea, you managed to come out alive when you brought him breakfast yesterday didn't you? If he didn't kill you then, I don't think he'll kill you today."

Tea couldn't help smiling, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks.

She escorted Mokuba out of the room trying to contain the butterflies that were just now starting to fill her stomach.

When he was finally gone she closed the door and headed back into the bedroom. Sighing with frustration she picked the first outfit she could get her hands on and threw it onto the dresser stool. She sat on the edge of the bed, her thoughts running wild.

_Why did this have to happen? Why did he have to be so….so damn…..Sheesh, she couldn't even find a satisfying word to describe him._

Groaning as if she had the worst stomach ache in the world she let herself fall backwards onto the bed, not giving a damn about her wet hair.

* * *

Kaiba walked into the bedroom, oblivious to his surroundings; his mind was still spinning uncontrollably. He was clad in nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts, with a towel loosely draped around his neck. His sandy brown hair was damp and disheveled.

He walked over to the laptop sitting on the bed, with the intention of drowning himself in some work in order to create some distraction.

Just then, much to his aggravation, there was a quiet knock on his door. He sighed as he made a u turn and headed straight toward the source of his disdain.

He swung the door open, without trying to hide his mood, only to find himself staring down at the very girl who was running through his mind all morning.

For the first time in his life he was grateful for his conscientious upbringing, courtesy Gozaburo Kaiba; He was able to hide his feelings with ease.

Tea however, wasn't having such a trouble-free time. She looked like a mouse in the presence of a house cat.

Tea looked up at Kaiba, once again in nothing but a pair of boxers. Her voice seemed to be caught in her throat as she looked at him. If one of his fan girls were standing there at that precise moment they'd spontaneously combust! _Damn it! It should be a crime to look that good!_

Kaiba tried his best to sound like his old unpleasant self so there would be nothing unusual between them.

"Didn't I make it clear yesterday, that I didn't want you bothering me this early in the morning?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that… Mokuba told me to tell you that… we're going on a private yacht ride this morning."

As Kaiba looked down at her, he realized just how difficult it would be to keep his feelings for her bottled up inside of him.

He nevertheless, willed himself to act natural.

"A private Yacht?"

Tea nodded

"He said he was going downstairs right now to book our schedule."

Kaiba let out a frustrated huff.

"And I take it you won't leave me alone until I agree to come along, am I right?"

Tea managed to smile, despite herself.

"..Well, he really wants you to be there…"

He sighed heavily knowing when he was beat. It made absolutely no sense trying to pull himself out of it.

"Fine, just let me know when to come down!"

Tea nodded.

Their eyes remained locked on each other for a few seconds until Tea broke the spell.

"Um, well, I'll see you when you get down ok."

Without another word, she turned to walk down the hallway toward her room. Kaiba kept his eyes on her until she was no longer in his sight zone.

When he finally closed his door, he couldn't help feeling that their little island vacation was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

After about half an hour, they were all standing in the lobby downstairs. A young man with medium length hair joined them from hotel administration. He appeared to be in his mid twenties, with blond hair and green eyes which complimented his features nicely. Tea of course was the first one to notice.

"Oh man, I can't believe I'm actually getting to meet, the one and only Seto Kaiba!"

He reached out to shake Kaiba's hand, too star struck to notice the expression on Kaiba's face.

"Your Games are the best man…"

Before he could say another word however a much older man stepped out from behind the check in counter.

"Uh, you'll have to excuse my son, Mr. Kaiba; he's fairly new here at the Hotel."

The older man shot his son a nasty glance before turning his attention back to Kaiba.

He smiled apologetically as he shook Kaiba's hand much like his son did.

"Jack Wellington, I understand that you're interested in one of our private packages this morning, Young Mr. Kaiba here explained that you wanted as much privacy as possible so I've made the necessary arrangements."

Kaiba folded his arms not saying a word; he was obviously less than thrilled to be there.

The man, now introduced as Mr. Wellington, noticed the disgruntled look on Kaiba's face and decided it best to get straight to the point.

"Um, my son here, Ryan, will be your captain and tour guide this morning…"

He led them out of the hall and outside into the front of the hotel.

"You and your mistress will find it's much to your liking. Maximum privacy Guaranteed."

Kaiba was losing his patience, he didn't even have the energy to set the real story straight anymore.

"Whatever, can we just leave already?"

"Oh yes of course, please excuse me while I arrange some transportation to the dock."

Kaiba just sighed leaning against the wall.

Both Tea and Mokuba decided that it was best to just leave him be. It wasn't wise to upset him any further than he already was.

After a few minutes Mr. Wellington returned, closing his cell phone.

"Well, the jeep should be here in a few minutes. I hope you and your mistress find our accommodations to your liking Mr. Kaiba."

He tipped his hat to Tea and headed back into the hotel lobby leaving the three of them standing outside the entrance. Tea willed her self not to turn red. She glimpsed at Kaiba, who seemed to be deliberately avoiding her glance. There were quite a few eyes on them as per usual as they stood waiting for their transportation.

After a few minutes Ryan emerged form inside the hotel, looking annoyed. Tea decided that his Father must have given him a generous amount of fore warning about keeping a lid on his mouth.

Just then a black & white 4x 4 Jeep wrangler pulled up into the entrance.

Ryan, waved at the driver.

"Oh, looks like our rides here."

With that said they all gathered themselves to enter the vehicle.

* * *

The morning went by rather quickly and much to Tea's relief, it went by without incident.

They all arrived at the dock in less than five minutes, Tea noticing with great pleasure that this part of the island seemed to be void of any other guests and/or fan girls.

Kaiba's mood hadn't improved in the slightest, not even the sight of the luxurious yacht did anything to uplift his spirits.

Tea however had felt as if she had just stepped onto a movie set.

They all boarded the yacht accompanied by Ryan who seemed to have lost the memory of his father's warning.

Ryan, Kaiba noticed with disgust, had a distinct similarity to Joey Wheeler.

After giving them a formal brief, history of the yacht, Ryan led them down into the cabin area.

Tea couldn't believe her eyes as she stepped foot into the spacious interior. It was much larger than she thought it would be; she felt as if she were standing in another section of the hotel. All the furniture were arranged so as to give the impression of a small apartment; with glass windows surrounding the room giving them a clear view of the vast open ocean all around them. There was even a flat screen TV and a dinning table arranged with an assortment of drinks and deserts at the far left hand corner of the room. Tea had to bite down on her lip to keep from gaping like a complete idiot. _Was this what the Kaibas considered normal? _She suddenly felt like a black sheep_._

As they walked further into the room she also noticed also that there was actually a fully furnished patio extending out onto the deck. She never dreamed that it would be this elaborate, her eyes sparkled with fascination.

"Well I guess that's all, there's food and the works already prepared; Just head into the pantry through the door on your right….and if you guys need a bit _more_ privacy, there are two couple sized bedrooms in the lower deck. Just make yourselves at home ok."

Winking at both Tea and Kaiba, Ryan the inexperienced captain, headed back up the stairs to the upper deck; leaving them staring after him. Tea was scarlet red as she forced herself not to look at Kaiba. Apparently everyone at the hotel thought that they were an item.

Kaiba wasted no time; he headed straight to the bottle of non alcoholic wine. He popped the bottle open and poured himself a generous glass.

"You guys dragged me out here, so I intend to do whatever the hell I want."

Mokuba was happy to see his brother doing something other than work, even if it was sulking like an 8 year old. He turned to Tea who seemed to be a bit out of place, not knowing what she should do next.

"Come on Tea; let's go out on the deck! We'll be able to see the whole island once we set sail!"

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her outside.

Kaiba took a sip of his drink as he stared after them. Once again Tea seemed to be completely oblivious to how attractive she looked. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a closely fitted white tank top and a navy blue mini skirt. He had to shake himself out of his stupor before following them out on deck. Once there he noticed that they were just now starting to move, the dock was slowly drifting further and further away from them.

"I hope you didn't have to pay extra for this Mokuba!"

"No of course not Seto, the Kaiba name comes with a lot of perks you know."

Kaiba scoffed as he took another sip of his wine.

Mokuba turned his attention to Tea.

"So Tea what do you think? About the yacht I mean?"

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it."

Kaiba watched the both of them converse. He couldn't help feeling grateful that Mokuba was having such a good time. Because he was always so busy, he hardly ever had any time to spend with his baby brother, he was glad that he and Tea got along as well as they did.

* * *

The day passed by quickly. Mokuba saw it as his responsibility to make sure Tea's first time on the yacht was as enjoyable as possible; while Kaiba saw it as his responsibility to be as difficult and immature as possible.

As the evening drew to a close Mokuba decided to head up to the upper deck to speak to Ryan, who turned out to be an excellent captain after all; despite Kaiba's rotten disposition of course.

Tea and Kaiba who hadn't had much to say to each other for most of the day were suddenly left alone.

* * *

Kaiba felt his 'male instincts' kick into full gear as he watched Tea helping herself to a glass of red wine. He didn't want her to know what was really going on his head; but that didn't mean he couldn't have a normal conversation with her right?

"Don't you think you had enough alcohol for the day?"  
Tea turned to look at her tormentor who was smirking at her form one of the couches by the window.

"What do you mean; this is the only alcoholic drink I've had all day!"

"That's one more than me."

Somehow hearing him badger her like that seemed to make her feel more at ease around him.

"Humph, well it's not my fault you're Mr Perfect, Who thinks he's above everything, even alcohol!"

"So you think I'm perfect?"

"What? Would you stop playing on my words!"

"I wasn't playing on your words, I simply repeated exactly what you yourself said."

"That's not what I meant and you know it so stop trying to get on my nerves."

Kaiba enjoyed seeing her work herself up; her buttons were just too easy to push.

Tea took a seat on the single couch opposite the one Kaiba was sitting on. She pulled her eyes off of him to take a sip of her wine.

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, wondering if he should try getting some answers. He wanted to know what had happened to her before she left Domino. He wanted to find out exactly what that asshole did to cause so much pain in her life.

But how was he supposed to do that without sounding completely obvious? He decided that he would try nevertheless.

"…And since when do you drink anyway? I seem to recall you yourself being all straight laced back in high school."

Kaiba studied her reaction to his question closely. Fortunately she didn't seem angry or dismissive at all.

She put her glass down on the table next to the couch.

"Well, people change as they get older Kaiba."

He saw a sort of sadness reflected in her eyes as she spoke.

"So I take it you're out of the cheerleading business for good now?"

He was glad to see her smile.

"It's just that, we were all so ignorant back then, we didn't know the first thing about real life. It's different when you get older, people who you thought you could trust forever…."

She shrugged without finishing her sentence. She picked up her glass of wine again and took another sip.

Kaiba, despite how hard it was for him to see the hurt in her eyes, kept his questions constant.

"So someone betrayed you?"

She looked at him and then looked away.

"..That's not important, that's all in the past now."

She tucked some of her hair behind her ear as she looked back at him, forcing herself to smile.

"…and it's not exactly fair for me to keep boring you with my problems."

"You're not. I wouldn't ask you to tell me if I didn't want to know."

"But why do you…."

"I already told you, whether you like it or not _you_ are one of my responsibilities now. You work for me remember."

"Yea but, don't I get to keep my personal life to myself? I didn't know working for you meant I was signing over my soul."

"Well you should've read the fine print at the bottom of the contract."

Tea couldn't help herself smiling for real this time. When he wasn't being a jerk, Kaiba could actually be quite charismatic.

She took another sip of her wine.

"Maybe I should have."

Tea noticed that the sun was just now starting to set. She wanted to get a good view of the horizon before night fall.

She got up from her seat and started heading out into the patio. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Kaiba.

"I'm going to get a better look at the sunset; you want to come with me?"

"Why would I be interested in something as stupid as that? And besides you can see everything fine from right here."

Tea rolled her eyes and walked over to where he was sitting. She folded her arms and looked down at him. Kaiba knew that it was just the wine finally taking its toll, other wise, she would never have approached him the way that she did.

"Why are you always such a jerk?"

Kaiba stared up at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Are you saying you have a problem with my attitude?"

"Maybe."

"Well why don't you do something about it?"

She looked down at him not knowing what she should say next.

He smirked up at her.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid to put me in my place?"

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of you!"

"You're not?"

Without another word he kept his eyes glued to hers as he deliberately stood up from his seated position. He was now standing directly in front of her, his body towering over hers, purposely holding her gaze.

"Are you sure?"

Tea felt her heart rate increase rapidly as she instinctively tried to step back. But he had already placed one of his hands around her waist, keeping her rooted on spot; His eyes drilling into hers

Tea felt like she was about to have a panic attack. She looked up at him, finding that she didn't even have the strength to generate any kind of resistance.

Kaiba kept his iron grip on her, feeling his baser instincts kicking in once again; but he knew he couldn't act on them, not at that moment. He wasn't exactly sure how she would react to him. He decided to drop the notion all together. A simple ruse was all she needed.

He casually let her go, causing her to stumble back a little.

Tea felt her face practically glowing as she stepped further away from him.

"What the hell was that for?"

Kaiba simply smirked and folded his arms.

"You should think before you mouth off."

Tea pouted as she looked up at him.

"You really are a jerk, Kaiba!"

With that said she angrily got up and headed out toward the patio, to watch the sunset on her own.

As she stood out on the deck, allowing the ocean air to sweep through her hair, to her surprise she turned to see Kaiba approaching her with another glass of wine in his hand.

He handed it to her, his blue eyes much kinder than before.

"I was only joking you know, you shouldn't let people get under your skin so easily."

She took the glass from his hand her fingers brushing against his.

One look at his face and her anger had disappeared completely. She smiled as she felt her cheeks turning red again.

"I'm sorry…"

She sighed as she watched the breathtaking sunset.

"… I guess you were right, I am just an over emotional secretary."

He smiled at her, wishing she could somehow see the truth in his eyes.

"Maybe you are…but I wouldn't have you any other way."

Tea turned to look at him, trying in vain to stop herself from blushing.

Suddenly his smile turned into a mischievous smirk.

"…Who needs a secretary who can get through the day without a meltdown? No body needs that kind of aggravation."

Tea had to force herself not to laugh out loud. She smiled as she deliberately took another sip of her wine, so as not to give herself away.

"You're such a jerk Kaiba…"

He shrugged, knowing that he couldn't deny the fact.

She turned to watch the ocean again.

"..But... I wouldn't have _you_ any other way either."

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, feeling her words touch his heart.

_Did_ _she really just say that to him?_

_Great! This was going to be much harder than_ _he thought! At this rate there was no telling what would happen between them. But despite his feelings, his resolve would remain cast in stone, until the moment was right to shatter it into a million pieces._

He chose not to say anything further, as they both watched the sun disappear into the ocean.


	13. Memories of the Rain

Chapter Thirteen

Memories of the rain 

* * *

The afternoon went by rather smoothly; Mokuba had managed to talk Ryan into giving them an extra hour's worth of sailing so that they could see the island illuminated under the moonlight.

To Tea, the day spent was like a dream. She would have never imagined in a million years that one day she would actually be sitting on a Yacht at a beach resort having red wine and watching the sunset. – And with the Kaiba brothers of all people. Talk about mind-blowing!

* * *

As the outing came to a close they all left the Yacht accompanied by Ryan who seemed to have had a bit too much booze for the night.

They stood at the dock, waiting for the jeep to take them back to the hotel.

"So, did you guys and gals enjoy the ride today?"

Kaiba had no intention of making small talk; so he made absolutely no effort to respond.

Mokuba yawned loudly looking too exhausted to say a thing.

So Tea took it upon herself to be polite.

"Oh of course, it was beautiful!"

He nodded his approval.

"Well that's great to hear Ms Kaiba; I'm glad, glad I could be of service."

Tea tried hard to fight off the heat rising to her cheeks. She decided that it was time to set the record straight herself, before the entire island got the wrong idea about her.

"Um, Well, see that's the thing, I'm not actually…."

"Isn't the Jeep supposed to be here by now?"

Kaiba cut her off before she could finish her sentence. Ryan immediately turned his attention to Kaiba, ecstatic that he was getting some attention.

"Uh, Well we did stay a bit longer than planned…"

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit nervous.

"…It should be here any second now Mr. Kaiba. No worries."

Kaiba shot him a cold glance before turning his attention elsewhere.

_Huh? What was that about?_

Tea decided not to say anything further; not knowing exactly what to make of Kaiba's reaction.

A few awkward minutes later the jeep pulled up in front of them, almost blinding them with its high beam.

Mokuba yawned again as he climbed into the back seat first, followed by Tea then a disgruntled Kaiba.

Ryan hoped into the front seat with the driver who seemed just as young and inexperienced as him. As they pulled off, Ryan reached over and turned on the radio. He kept the volume on low so as not to disturb anyone in the back, anyone meaning mostly Kaiba.

There was a familiar song on that Tea recognized right away; 'Innocent' by Fuel.

She allowed herself to enjoy the music as she felt her eyelids becoming heavy.

* * *

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Approximately 1 year ago_

Domino City

8:30 pm

"Thank you so much Miss Reyuna!"

Tea felt a rush of relief ripple through her entire body. Apparently her dance routine wasn't as amateurish as she thought it was. Her instructor sat across the desk from her, commending her about her well choreographed performance.

"The next audition is in two weeks Tea, you've been doing well…despite missing a few classes and showing up late half of the time of course…"

She flashed Tea a hopeless smile. Tea bit her lip, trying to look as apologetic as humanly possible.

"I'm so sorry about that…I'll try to…"

The instructor held her hand up to stop her from saying anything further.

"It's alright Tea, I understand, I know how hard it must be for you since…well…"

She paused for a second, choosing her words wisely.

"..Since the accident…"

Tea looked away as she tried to prevent the memory form washing over her.

The instructor gave her time to recollect her thoughts.

When she felt it was alright to continue she went on.

"But you're one of my best students Tea, you can do so much better, I see the potential in you. You have a talent that very few others possess. I want to see you reach your goals."

"Thanks Miss Reyuna."

"Your routine is good but it needs to be solid for the final audition. This is your one and only chance to get accepted this year, so you need to put everything that you've learned into this one routine ok."

"Yes mam."

Miss Reyuna looked at the clock on the desk.

"Ok, looks like I've kept you a bit longer than I should have. Well, that's all Tea; we can talk about this some more on Monday morning ok. Do you want a ride home?"

"Oh that's ok; someone's waiting for me outside."

"Ok, see you on Monday then, have a good night."

"You too…"

* * *

It was freezing cold outside the dance studio. Tea stood at the entrance peering through the hand full of people scattered on the sidewalk and across the street. She walked further out onto the corner trying to spot the person she was searching for. Just then her cell phone rang. She reached into her jacket pocket to retrieve it, feeling the icy wind wisp across her face.

"Hello?"

"Tea, it's me, I'm sorry baby but I can't make it tonight, something came up."

Tea felt her heart sink but she was too exhausted and freezing to make a fuss

"Oh ok…. I'll just see if I can get a ride with someone else then, if not I'll just take the bus."

"Ok babe, I'm so sorry, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Don't worry about it, I know you're really busy, I'll call you when I get home ok."

Tea listened to Yami half heartedly before saying goodbye and closing her cell phone.

She let out a frosty breath as she scanned the area for someone familiar who could possibly give her a ride home.

Unfortunately there was no one of the sort in sight.

Feeling frustrated, she adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she reluctantly headed down the sidewalk toward the bus terminal.

* * *

_Present Day_

Ocean View Hotel

Thursday

7:00am

Tea awoke to the sound of the quiet alarm clock she had placed on the night stand next to her bed. Her eyes were puffy and her body felt un-rested. For some reason she couldn't stop thinking about her past life in Domino, and all the events which led up to her moving to the city.

She realized that ever since she had gotten the job at Kaiba Corp, her mind was slowly starting to let go. She hadn't even noticed before just how different her life had become since that day. But her memories were returning, it felt as though someone had woken her from a deep sleep, forcing her once again to open her eyes to the darkness all around her. _But why?_ _Why was she starting to feel that way again?_

She reached over and finally turned the alarm off. She felt as if she could just lie in bed for the entire day, but she knew her body would never allow it. She slowly forced herself to get out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom.

* * *

Kaiba stared at the laptop screen, his concentration in disarray. He was deep in thought about his predicament with a certain someone. He wondered whether his actions were making it a bit too obvious that he had feelings for her. Back in high school he wouldn't have been caught dead being that nice to her, despite the fact that he had always seen Tea in a different light.

_But what the hell happened to her back in domino to make her so depressed?_ His curiosity was growing at a dangerous rate.

He gave up on getting any work done and leaned back against the comfortable chair. He sighed as he crossed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. His mind was made up; _before the vacation was over he was going to get the answers he was looking for…by any means necessary.

* * *

  
_

Tea pinned her hair up and stepped into the shower. She had thought that once she was out of bed her head would stop spinning; unfortunately she couldn't have been more wrong. It had gotten considerably worse. She allowed the warm water to flow over her body as she closed her eyes, hoping she could somehow block out her memories.

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

Domino City

Tea poured herself a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator. It had been exactly one week since her dance instructor had told her about the final audition. She was this close to finally attaining her dream and she was grateful.

Tea, is that you? You home already?"

Tea turned around to see her uncle just now entering the kitchen. His eyes were blood shot and he was obviously drunk again.

"..Um, yea Uncle Mike, I just got home."

Tea felt her heart beating against her chest. She picked up her gym bag from the floor forgetting about the orange juice.

"I'm gonna go up to my room ok."

She turned toward the door but she was stopped, her uncle had already grabbed her by the arm.

"What did I tell you about that goddamn dance class Tea? You're wasting your time on that shit!"

Tea forced herself to speak through the panic welling up in her chest.

"But, I told you, I quit, I don't go to that class anymore…"

Her voice was shaking; her eyes were filling with tears. She hated lying but it was the only way she could continue practicing.

Her uncle however was nobody's fool.

"You're lying to me! You think I'm stupid you little ungrateful brat!"

Tea braced herself for what was coming. Her uncle suddenly struck her across the face the impact throwing her to the floor.

He looked down at her, anger etched across his brow.

Tea felt the fear shooting through her veins like electricity.

She looked up at her uncle through timid eyes, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Don't look at me like that young lady, it's for your own good, I was good enough to take you in after your folks died; all I ask is for you to do as you're told! Now get up and go o your room, and I don't wanna hear nothing about that damn dance class, you here me?"

Tea quickly scrabbled up off the floor, trying to stop her sobbing but found that she couldn't.

She kept her head bent as she faced her uncle once again; still feeling the sting of his right hand on her face.

"Yes sir."

"Good, now go on upstairs."  
Without another word she grabbed her bag and walked out of the kitchen.

Once inside her room, Tea threw her gym bag onto the floor. She put her back against the door, allowing herself to cry. She touched her face where she had been slapped, wishing that her life at that moment was somehow just a dream. _Why was this happening to her? What did she do to deserve it?_

When her tears were finally showing signs of stopping, she headed over to her bed and sat on the edge. She removed her shoes and took off her jacket; eager to retrieve her phone. At least there was one person in the world who she could run to; and at that moment she needed him more than ever.

She lay on the bed clutching her pillow with her cell phone to her ear; anticipating he sound of Yami's reassuring voice.

* * *

_Present Day_

Tea stepped out of the bathroom feeling a little bit more relaxed. The warm water seemed to have done her some good. After a few minutes she was back in the bedroom wrapped in her bathrobe, unpinning her hair. She wondered what Mokuba had in store for them that day. She smiled to herself at the thought; she could really use the fresh air.

Suddenly without warning her mind shifted to the older Kaiba.

She found that she couldn't stop her face from turning red, at the thought of him.

Oddly enough it seemed that Kaiba had suddenly taken on the role of being her rescuer.

Who would've thought that Seto Kaiba of all people would be the one to comfort her though all this? Life was definitely anything but predictable.

* * *

That morning Mokuba had planned another excursion, this time on land. It was a private tour of the island by jeep. They were booked to visit three of the island's most exclusive tourist hot spots; The Ocean View Aquarium, The Coral Reef hot springs and the island's only waterfall at the end of the Ocean View Forest reserve.

According to the brochure, at the very end of the tour, they would also be able to stay at the hot springs guest house over night; this privilege of course reserved only for a chosen few; the Kaiba's being no exception.

Tea watched quietly as Ryan packed their light luggage into the trunk of the jeep. Kaiba, she noticed, looked extremely annoyed at the fact that Ryan would once again be accompanying them on their outing. Apparently, Ryan's similarity to Joey was a bit too much for him to handle with a straight face.

She also couldn't help herself from noticing just how hot Kaiba looked standing there in his black short sleeved shirt.

-Black was definitely a good color on him.

"OK, looks like everything's all packed…"

Ryan looked at them and clasped his hands together.

"Time to hit the road folks."

* * *

The ride through the island was quite an experience. The pathways toward the hot spots were mostly dirt roads; cleared through the forested areas of the island. If the hotel was aiming for an island safari theme they definitely hit the mark.

Tea sat in the middle of Mokuba and Kaiba so she found herself occasionally leaning over both of them to catch a closer glimpse of the lush green forest on either side of the jeep.

Both Mokuba and Kaiba seemed equally amused at her fascination.

* * *

_First Hot spot_

The Ocean View Aquarium

The jeep finally came to a stop in front of a large stone building. There were a handful of guests already gaping at them from the entrance as they all exited the vehicle.

Tea noticed that she was once again in danger of being murdered by Kaiba's never ending stockpile of fan girls.

-Two girls were already whispering to each other and glaring at her with daggers in their eyes.

-She sighed as she tried to ignore the unwanted attention.

"Alright people, we've arrived at our first hot spot of the day."  
Ryan stepped out of the jeep and walked over to them, apparently eager to get the tour started.

"Don't worry about your bags; everything stays with the jeep until we get to the hot springs ok."

Tea and Mokuba nodded politely, whereas Kaiba simply kept his arms folded and his expression somber.

Ryan, however, had seemed to have gotten used to Kaiba's anti-social characteristics; He continued without falter.

"Now, this large building, you see behind me is none other than the Ocean View's very own Aquarium; Here, guests can get a first hand look at the aquatic environment surrounding the island…"

Kaiba rolled his eyes as Ryan went on; clearly not as interested in his speech as Tea and Mokuba was.

When Ryan was finished giving them a briefing of the aquarium he finally invited them to go inside.

* * *

The Aquarium was everything Tea anticipated and more. They were able to see all the different types of fish that inhabited the waters around the island; they were some of the most elaborate & beautiful fish Tea had ever seen. The interior of the building was also one of the buildings greatest assets. The lighting was comfortably dim enhancing the viewing experience of the large illuminated aquariums.

Tea and Mokuba were both having a hard time containing themselves. Ryan seemed to be enjoying himself as well; he took obvious pleasure in sharing his insight on the various fishes and diverse ocean life. Kaiba on the other hand seemed to be one step away from storming out the door.

They spent their time admiring the variety of aquariums throughout the building, occasionally stopping for snack breaks and the like.

Tea felt herself trying extremely hard to fight off her thoughts of the past. They stopped at one of the large fish tanks on the upper floor; Ryan busily elaborating on the golden text engraved on the aquarium title plaque.

As Tea stared at the fishes swimming aimlessly through the illuminated water her thoughts slowly drifted off again.

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

Domino City

Tea felt her heart beating faster in her chest as she looked at the small white envelope in her hand. Her mouth was dry and she couldn't seem to think about anything else.

It had been a few days since she had done her dance routine at the final auditions and she had just now gotten the letter that would ultimately change her life.

She took a deep calming breath as she turned the envelope around so that she could open the seal.

"Come on Tea, it'll be fine, just do it."

Yami was sitting next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him and smiled, grateful for his support.

She tore her eyes away to look back at the letter; taking a deep breath.

She pressed her lips together as she started to break the seal. After a few seconds she was finally able to unfold the acceptance letter. She reluctantly scanned the contents, her eyes focused.

Yami couldn't read her expression, for some reason she seemed to be confused.

"What is it? Did you get in or not?"

Tea finished reading the letter without saying a word.

She took a few seconds to respond

"I…I did…I got in.."  
Yami smiled allowing himself to relax.

"See, told you not to worry…."

He looked at her seriously.

"So what's with the long face baby, you should be jumping for joy right about now, what's the matter, aren't you happy?"

"No, of course I'm happy; it's just that, I didn't apply for …Julliard."

"Julliard? What, did they enroll you there?"

She nodded slowly

"But, that's in New York?"

"I know, that's why I didn't apply, it's a great school but, I know you wouldn't be able to come with me so I…"

"Look, Tea, it's alright, you shouldn't let me come between you and your dreams…"

Yami pulled his eyes away, his expression changing.

"Yami, I'm sorry, I didn't apply for New York, it's some sort of mistake. I'll get to the bottom of it…"

"It's ok, I told you, don't let me get in the way of your future Tea."

"What? Why are you being like this Yami? I told I'd get to the bottom of it."

"But what if you can't get to the bottom of it? What if it can't be fixed? What then? Are you just gonna reject the offer?"

Tea couldn't respond, her dream had finally come true, how could she possibly throw it all away now?

"That's what I thought."

His voice was cold and meaningful.

He got up from the bed and started toward the door.

Tea got up after him,

"Wait Yami, please don't leave… I… I'm sorry."

He turned to look at her as he opened the door.

"It's ok; I guess some things are more important than others."

Without another word he walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.

* * *

_Present Day_

When Tea caught wind of her senses again it was already time to leave. They all left the building as it was finally time to head to the next attraction.

* * *

_Second hot spot_

Ocean View's Forest Reserve Waterfall

They all exited the jeep, Mokuba brimming with excitement. Tea could hear the heavy rushing sound of the waterfall close by. She took a deep calming breath, allowing the clean forested air to filter into her lungs.

They had parked next to a small Caribbean style bar situated about 5 minutes walking distance away from the forest.

There was a large open field with a wide dirt trail in the middle leading into the hillsides. Tea assumed that they would have to hike up the hills in order to get to the waterfall; the idea was unexpectedly welcoming.

There were a few cars parked along side of them; and a handful of upper crust looking guests were lounging at the bar.

Ryan excused himself for a second so that he could go into the bar. Apparently he had to check in with the bar manager before he could take them up to the waterfall.

"Oh man, this is great, the last time me and Seto were here, these attractions were practically non-existent. You're lucky you came with us this time Tea."

"Looks like I am."

She smiled cheerily at him.

Mokuba suddenly turned his attention to his older brother, who seemed to be in a worse mood than usual.

"What's wrong big brother? Aren't you just a little bit excited?"

"Mokuba, you know how I feel about these stupid so-called hotspots; It's just an idiotic ploy to make gullible tourists spend more money. Just be grateful that I chose to come with you two and I'm not back in my room!"

Mokuba sighed hopelessly, not knowing what he should say next.

Just then Ryan came out of the bar.

"Ok people, all clear, time to go."

He stood in front of them with a calculating look.

"Ok, looks like you're all dressed appropriately for the hike, it's not far, and we've got good weather; there shouldn't be any mud puddles and junk like that to worry about so your clothes should be safe. Um, is anyone planning on doing any swimming when we get there?"

"Swimming?"

The word caught Mokuba's attention.

"Sure, the waterfall isn't all that big so it flows into a shallow river pool. It's pretty awesome for swimming, pretty safe too cause it's not that deep."

Mokuba's eyes lit up, he immediately turned to look up at Kaiba.

"Please big brother, can I go swimming?"

"Mokuba, I don't want you swimming in a goddamn river pool!"

Ryan smiled reassuringly

"Don't worry Mr. Kaiba, your brother's in good hands, we won't be going alone, two of the hotel's scouts will be going with us…"

Tea watched quietly as the three of them fought it out. In the end Mokuba emerged the victor.

Kaiba instructed Mokuba to put on his bathing trunks under his clothes so that he could change when they got to the pool. Mokuba of course, was too ecstatic to care; he quickly did as he was told.

When everything was settled they all headed along the dirt trail toward the hillside.

* * *

The hike through the forest was fairly easy, despite Tea's tendency to trip over exposed tree roots.

After approximately 10 minutes they finally arrived at their destination at a large clearing at the top of the hill.

The waterfall was fairly high, equivalent to about 5 stories up.

Tea watched in amazement as the water flowed heavily into the small river. The pool was crystal clear and she could easily see the bottom of the river bed through the water. Ryan was right, it would've been a great place to take a swim, and it couldn't have been more than 5 feet deep.

Mokuba's eyes sparkled with the sight of the pool, eager to get in.

Ryan stood next to the two hotel scouts who had accompanied them on their hike.

"Well, time to relax and enjoy, young Mr. Kaiba, feel free to jump in, the water's great."

He turned to Tea and Kaiba who were unintentionally standing next to each other.

"As for you two love birds, you can either stay here at the pool or head on over to the small cabin a little further east of the dirt trail."

Tea immediately turned bright red. _Why did everything have to lead back to her and_ _Kaiba?_

Tea opened her mouth to refuse, but to her surprise, Kaiba unexpectedly intervened before she could say a single word.

"What about Mokuba?"

"Don't worry; we'll be keeping an eye on him."

"Ok, just don't let him out of your sight; I don't think I need to elaborate on what would happen to you and the entire hotel if anything were to happen to him!"

Ryan gulped nervously.

"Of course Mr. Kaiba, we understand perfectly."

Kaiba then turned his attention to Tea.

"Come on let's go."

Tea looked at him with wide eyes, perplexity written all over her face.

"…What? But…"

Kaiba didn't let her finish, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her with him toward the cabin.

Tea's heart was pounding in her chest.

_What the hell was going on here? Just what was Kaiba thinking?

* * *

  
_

They finally reached the cabin. Kaiba opened the unlocked door and stepped inside, Tea timidly following close behind. Once inside, Kaiba closed the door behind them and locked the hatch. Tea suddenly felt a swarm of butterflies invading her stomach all at once. Being alone with him like that was unbearable nerve-racking. She turned to face him after scanning the small one room cabin, which mainly consisted of a large bed, fireplace, an icebox, a few drawers and shelves, two chairs and a wooden table.

By and large the effect was extremely cozy, perfect for couples, but completely inappropriate for her and Kaiba…

"What's the big idea Kaiba? Why'd you drag me in here?"

Kaiba was staring straight into her eyes.

"I want to ask you something."

"Ask me something?"

Kaiba hesitated for a fraction of a second, but made up his mind to move forward.

"I want to know what happened to you back in Domino."

"What?..."

Tea couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"...You dragged me in here to ask me about my personal life?"

"Look, I need to know ok, I want to get to the bottom of this once and for all, I hate being in the dark about this."

"What do you mean? I told you, I don't want you poking around in my personal life. My past has nothing to do with you."

She looked up at him angrily, then turned around and walked over to the bed.

She sat at the edge, looking as if the entire world was suddenly resting on her shoulders.

Kaiba sighed quietly to himself as he walked over to her. He sat next to her on the bed keeping his eyes forward.

"Look I know you don't want me prying into your life, but don't you think I'm in a little too deep now for you to keep hiding it from me?"

Tea couldn't help herself turning red in the face after hearing him being so forward with her.

"Kaiba, I know I've been dragging you into this from the very beginning but, you don't have to worry about it, I promise I won't let it affect my work anymore ok."

Kaiba wished he could tell her the truth about his concern but his resolve was still solid.

"Humph, you're right you have been dragging me into this, and now you've dragged me in up to my elbows, so I think I deserve some kind of explanation as to why you've been acting this way."

Tea stared at the floor knowing that he was somehow right.

"…Ok, I f I tell you part of it would you leave the subject alone from now on?"

"I'm not making any promises."

Tea sighed hopelessly, knowing that she had backed herself into a corner.

"Fine, it's got something to do with Yami and me."

"I hate to tell you this, but that's obvious."

"Well if it's that obvious then why are you asking me what happened?"

"I'm asking because I want the _whole_ truth."

Tea felt her memories flooding back into her mind. They were like a weight attached to her soul; dragging her down into depression.

Her voice was small and quiet as she responded.

"… I know I owe you an explanation but…please don't make me open up old wounds… I don't think I can take it."

Kaiba kept the harshness in his voice to a bear minimum. He spoke to her as kindly as he could manage without sacrificing his reputation as a cold son of a bitch.

"…It's ok, you don't have to tell me everything… just enough.'

He looked at her when she didn't respond. She was already fighting back tears.

"Please understand…I can't…"

Tea closed her eyes trying hard not to cry. She felt like a complete fool, sitting there next to him. She opened her eyes and forced herself to look at him. A single tear managed to escape her eyes and was slowly rolling down her check. Kaiba brought his hand up to her face and wiped the tear away with his thumb; but to her surprise he kept his hand on her face, letting his fingers slip past her ear and into her hair. She felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart rate increasing rapidly. _Why was he touching her like that?_ Tea found that she couldn't move an inch, even when she felt his other hand wrap around her waist pulling her closer to him. She could feel his breath on her face and she could smell his intoxicating cologne. _What was going on? What in the world was happening?_

But despite her thoughts she couldn't bring herself to move or to push him away. Instead she found herself longing for more.

His ocean blue eyes were like magnets keeping her gaze fixated upon his.

His voice was tantalizingly seductive as he spoke to her, his hand stroking her soft check.

"It's ok, you don't have to give in to your past Tea; you're stronger than you think you are, but you don't have to tell me now if you don't want to, you can tell me when you're ready ok."

Tea bit her lip to stop herself from falling apart. He was holding her in his arms again and she found herself getting used to it. For some reason she couldn't find the strength or the will to push him away.

He was still stroking her cheek and he wasn't showing any signs of letting her go.

Her heart was pounding as she looked up at him.

His eyes were intense and heavily focused on hers.

Kaiba found that he couldn't control himself; but at that point he didn't care; he allowed his feelings to take total control.

He stopped stroking her check and slipped his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up. He waited for opposition, but there was none. His resolve to hide his feelings was somehow like a distant memory and despite his better judgment he couldn't find the strength to stop himself. Tea felt his grip tighten around her waist as she felt her body giving in to him. _Why was she paralyzed under his touch? Why was she_ _allowing him to take control?_ Her mind was a torrent of panic, but at that moment nothing was stronger than her desire to be his. She instinctively closed her eyes as he slowly brought his mouth toward hers.

* * *

~~~~~~~~~~~To be Continued in Chapter 14.

* * *

Note: So sorry about the cliffie but it was a necessary evil in order for me to move the story along. Hope you enjoyed the read. Please send me a review if you have the time ok. I know this chapter was a bit heavy but don't worry everything will iron itself out later on.

Thanks From

Tamia*


	14. Grateful

Chapter Fourteen:

Grateful

* * *

Tea kept her eyes closed, her heart pounding in her chest as she anticipated the warmth of Kaiba's lips. Regardless of all the confusion in her mind, for some reason she found herself wanting him more than anything else.

Kaiba inched his mouth closer to hers, feeling his own pulse racing, his body satiated with longing.

_Was he really going to do this?_

_Should he? _

But despite all the hesitant questions crowding his mind, he knew his desire for her was undeniably too strong. Stopping himself at that moment would be an impossible task, even for him.

_Why was this happening? Why did she suddenly want him so badly?_

Tea felt her body tremble as he pulled her closer; overwhelming her with the warmth of his powerful embrace. His hand was wrapped around her waist pressing against the small of her lower back, sending shock waves through her entire body. He let his other hand slide across the side of her face, as he inched his lips even closer.

Tea felt urgency in his touch, as if he was somehow opening a door inside of himself that he was never able to open before.

The raw anticipation was like fiery torture as she felt her body slowly submitting to his every will...

But as the distance between their lips closed and their desire for each other deepened the hidden pain within Tea's heart suddenly started to overwhelm her.

In an instant she remembered the promise she had made to herself when she left Domino City.

_This couldn't be happening. How could she allow herself to be hurt again? Her heart was too wounded for any of this. _

The sudden disruption seemed to jolt her back into reality. Her eyes flew open and she immediately shifted into panic mode.

Kaiba's mouth was inches away from hers.

She reluctantly shifted her lips away before either of them could satisfy their longing.

Kaiba stopped himself instantly, keeping his eyes fixated on her as he felt her body become tense in his arms.

She forced herself to look back at him through teary eyes.

"I'm sorry….I can't."

Kaiba looked back at her, seeing the hurt on her face as plain as daylight in her glistening eyes.

He hoped to God that he didn't somehow make her pain worse than it was before. He kept his arm around her, stroking his fingers gently across her cheek. He kept his voice barely over a whisper, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was.

"It's ok, you don't have to apologize."

Kaiba was still holding her in his arms, painfully close, but neither of them made any effort to move away.

They continued looking at each other and even though neither of them said another word, the silence was enough to convey exactly what was happening between them.

After a few seconds Tea finally forced herself to look away, breaking the spell.

Kaiba slowly loosened his grip on her, giving her enough space to re-gather herself.

_What on earth just happened?_

_Were they just about to make out?_

Tea steadied her breathing as she sat next to Kaiba, keeping her eyes forward and staring at the floor; too terrified to look him in the eyes.

Kaiba however, kept his eyes on her, trying to read her expression.

_Did she resent him for what he just did? Did he unintentionally hurt her?_

Questions of uncertainty bombarded his every thought_._

_What could he possibly do or say to her now to take back what he just did? The last thing he wanted was to become one of the reasons for her depression._

He silently scolded himself for losing control.

The tension all around them was thick enough to drown in.

Tea's heart was still pounding in her chest as she tried to wrap her head around what just happened between her and Kaiba.

Kaiba gathered himself as efficiently as he could manage before opening his mouth to speak. To his surprise however, Tea was the one to break the silence before him.

"…Why are you doing this? You don't _have_ to…you don't have to keep trying to help me."

Her voice was quiet and laced with something hidden.

Kaiba looked at her seriously, choosing his words carefully

"You should know better than anyone that I never do anything that I don't want to."

Tea dug her fingers into the bed sheet, not wanting him to see just how much his words had touched her. She kept her eyes on the floor so she wouldn't have to look at him.

_How could he be having such a massive effect on her?_

"But I don't understand...Why did you…?"

Just then before she could get a chance to finish her sentence, there was a light knock on the door.

The sudden interruption seemed to shatter the strain between them, pulling them both back into reality.

Kaiba tore his eyes away from her and irritably stood up to head to the door.

Tea remained frozen in her seated position as she watched Kaiba walk across the room.

Her mind was still a whirlwind of utter confusion.

She took the time she had alone to take a deep breath, trying desperately to regain her composure.

* * *

Kaiba swung the door open to find himself looking down at an eager looking Mokuba, who was standing outside the cabin dripping wet, holding a towel in his hands.

"Sorry to bother you big brother but you got a call from Kaiba Corp; I accidentally put your phone in my bag when we left the hotel."

"What's the problem?"

* * *

Tea bit her lip as she stared at Kaiba who was busily talking with his little brother.

_Was this really happening? Could Seto Kaiba actually have feelings for her?_

She gradually slowed her heart rate as she waited for him to return, not knowing in which direction she should guide her thoughts in.

After a few minutes Kaiba finally closed to door, locking the hatch once again.

Tea felt her butterflies returning as he turned his attention back to her.

_What the hell was she going to say to him? Should she try to change the subject?_

_Yes definitely!_

"… Is everything ok with him?"

"Kaiba Corp business."

"Oh ok"

Tea watched quietly as Kaiba walked over to the window at the far corner of the room, not knowing what she should say next. He folded his arms as he peered outside.

He looked as though he was deep in thought about something.

After a few seconds of silence he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, I was completely out of line ok…I was just trying to… get your mind off of everything."

Tea looked at him, feeling a bit thwarted by his words. _What the hell was she expecting? Of course he was just trying to comfort her. It couldn't be anything else. That was good right? Then why did it feel so disappointing?_

She stopped herself before her thoughts ripped her sanity to pieces.

"…It's ok, I understand. And I…appreciate you trying to help me Kaiba….but, I told you before…you don't have to burden yourself with this."

Kaiba looked over at her and after a few moments, walked over to where she was sitting. He took a seat next to her on the bed again.

He kept his voice composed and unchallenging as he looked straight at her.

"And didn't I tell you before that I never do anything that I don't want to do? If I'm helping you, it's because I choose to."

Tea looked back at him not knowing how she should respond. His words sank deep into her heart, forcing her to lose her nerve. She felt her heart rate speeding up, as she tore her eyes away from him, not wanting him to see the effect he was having on her...But somehow she suspected that it was already too late.

When she didn't respond, Kaiba took it upon himself to continue their conversation.

"…I want the truth Tea, I want to know what happened to you back in Domino, the fact that I don't know limits my ability to help you."

Tea willed herself to seize control of senses. She needed to calm down before she made a complete fool of herself. The effect he was having on her was way too intense. She forced herself to look at the situation from a logical point of view; after all, he was only doing what he felt he had to…. Right?

Kaiba waited for her to respond, all the while still scolding himself for what he just did. _How could he have acted so irrational? That wasn't like him at all. _

He only hoped that she would be able to over look his moment of weakness.

As he continued looking at her, to his surprise, he suddenly saw a small smile start to appear on her face.

"..So… are you like this with all your female employees?"

Kaiba felt his amusement overwhelm his worry, he was glad that she could still be her old self, despite the fact that they were in a world of scattered and unspoken feelings.

He responded, the only way he knew how; like the king of jerks.

"…Nope, just the helplessly over emotional ones."

"Hey"

Tea couldn't help smiling, feeling the tension slowly lifting all around them. She could still feel her heart beating profoundly in her chest, but there seemed to be a certain warmth spreading through her entire body. Somehow being with him like that was…comforting.

Kaiba allowed the atmosphere around them to thin out. He was relieved to see her smile and he made every effort to preserve the feeling.

After a moment he decided to rekindle the conversation. He kept the tone of his voice as light and composed as possible.

"Look, I'm not forcing you ok…"

He captured her eyes in his stare as he spoke

"…but I think I have a right to know what's going on with you. I know we weren't exactly the best of friends back in high school, but… I think I've known you long enough. I want to know why you left."

Tea sighed as she looked away

"I know I need to tell you but…It's just so hard to talk about it, I haven't spoken about it since I left home…"

"Well it's about time you did; keeping it locked away only makes it worse."

"Yea, it does…"

Tea's mind seemed to drift off somewhere…somewhere cold and desolate, a place only she could see.

Kaiba sighed inwardly, cursing himself for putting her through the agony of her memories again. But he knew he had no other choice, he wanted to protect her; and the only way he could do that was by getting her to tell him the truth.

Kaiba gave her time to clear her thoughts and think about what he said to her; hopefully she would be willing to open up to him once she had some time to think. He rose to his feet and walked over to the icebox next to the window. He pried it open and saw a hand picked selection of vintage alcoholic wine laid neatly across the first two shelves. He rolled his eyes, sighing hopelessly to himself –_Geez, was every corner of the island geared toward intoxicating young couples?_

He read through the labels carefully. Finally he was able to spot the brand that Tea had been drinking the night before. It was against his better judgment to give her alcohol but he decided that a small pick me up was much better than an over-sized helping of depression.

He pulled the bottle of wine from the icebox and reached for one of the champagne glasses on top one of the wooden shelves.

He poured a small amount of the wine into the glass and put the bottle back in with all the rest.

He retrieved a bottle of regular soda from the last shelf and casually shut the icebox closed.

He looked at Tea who was still staring at the floor as if the world was resting on her shoulders. He walked back over to the bed and sat next to her. She looked up at him as if she just now realized that he was once again by her side. He offered her the glass of wine, hoping that he could change her mood. He was glad to see her smile again as she took the glass from his hand.

"Thanks."

"No Problem, alcoholics need their sustenance."

Tea felt herself turn pink.

"…Very funny Kaiba."

She brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip.

Kaiba opened the bottle of soda and took a generous swig.

Tea watched him practically drain half the bottle's contents in one guzzle.

She felt herself feeling much better in his company. She was slowly starting to realize that she was becoming quite attached to the moments that they shared together; no matter how awkward, good or bad they tended to get.

The cold liquor seemed to send her mood into a different direction. She pushed her worry and all of her heavy concern into a separate corner of her mind. She took the notion to at least give herself a moment's piece before her thoughts drove her insane.

She looked at Kaiba with a calculating look.

"So why does the mighty Seto Kaiba not drink alcohol?"

He finished drinking and turned his attention to her, surprised by her sudden directness.

"Why would I? I see no logic in consuming something that impairs your judgment."

Tea smiled as she took another sip of her wine.

"…That's exactly the kind of explanation I'd expect from you."

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, amused by her daring.

He decided to play along to see where he could take their conversation.

"Is that so… so you think you know me that well huh?"

Tea noticed a sort of challenge in his tone. She avoided his gaze, staring at the wine in her hands.

"Well… I've seen enough duels with you and Yami to know how you think."

"And how is that?"

She deliberately took another sip of her wine. When she was finished she looked at him with an amused smile.

"I don't know…I guess you seem to be a bit too mature for someone your age; But…then again… you do have to run an entire company by yourself, so I guess it's warranted"

Kaiba couldn't help smiling

"Looks like being intoxicated brings out the old you"

"How so?"

"You're talking too much."

Tea pouted on purpose.

"Ha ha, very funny…and I'm not intoxicated."

She took another sip, draining the last bit of wine from the glass.

"Sure you're not."

"Hmph, that was pretty good, I think I'll have another one."

Completely ignoring Kaiba's taunting, she rose to her feet.

Kaiba watched entertainingly as she crossed the room, heading toward the ice box.

He took another swig of his soda, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on her.

She seemed to have completely forgotten the fact that he had tried to kiss her a few minutes ago; a fact he was half heartedly grateful for.

He was glad to see her returning to her normal self but it left a question open in his mind; one that he never seriously pondered about up until now.

_Did she feel the same way he did?_

_He knew she was still hurting because of her past but what about her heart? Did it still belong to Yami?_

He decided to put his questions on a shelf for now, not wanting to have to deal with too much at the same time. His only concern right now, despite his growing affection for her, was to get her to tell him the truth about her past.

He would deal with all the other complications later on.

After a few moments, Tea was once again holding a full glass of wine in her hand. She seemed to be in a much better mood than when she first stepped foot inside the cabin with him. She took a small sip as she surveyed the room as if for the first time.

She noticed the large round clock hanging on the wall behind the bed

"…Hmm, it's getting pretty late, I didn't realize we stayed at the Aquarium for so long."

She slowly walked around the room, taking occasional sips of her wine.

"Sometimes time flies even when you're _not_ having fun."

Tea looked at Kaiba with a hopeless look on her face.

"Why are you always so glum about everything?"

"Because I don't like wasting time."

"It's not wasting time if you're giving yourself time to rest, I mean you're always so busy, why don't you give yourself a break once in a while."

"I feel like we're back at high school, trust me, I don't need another lecture."

Tea sighed loudly, knowing that it was futile to reason with him.

Kaiba took a last swig of his soda.

He put the bottle on the floor at the side of the bed, finalizing his decision.

_Enough small talk, it was time for some answers._

"So when are you gonna tell me?"

Tea stopped in front of the unlit fireplace. He noticed an immediate but slight change in her expression. She looked at him with weary eyes.

"You never give up do you?"

"Do you really need to ask that?"

Tea sighed once again as she walked over to where he was sitting. She sat next to him on the bed and took the last sip of her wine.

"…Fine.. If you want to know that badly…I'll tell you."

Kaiba felt a large amount of guilt building at the bottom of his stomach. He hated having to force her into remembering but he knew it was the only way he could protect her. He waited patiently for her to speak.

Suddenly, before either of them could say anything further, Tea's cell phone went off inside of her jeans pocket.

Tea's heart instantly stopped for a few seconds with one person suddenly popping into her mind.

Her eyes remained glued to Kaiba's for a few seconds, until she finally tore her them away, forcing herself to retrieve the phone.

Kaiba watched her flip it open.

She reluctantly read the name that was flashing brightly across the display screen.

To her surprise however, it wasn't the name she was expecting. In fact it was the last name in the world that she would ever expect to see.

She stared at the screen with perplexed eyes, not knowing whether she should answer or not.

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, waiting for her to react.

When she didn't he decided to intervene.

"Is that who I think it is?"

His voice seemed to have broken her spell of uncertainty.

"…Oh…no, it's not…"

Kaiba frowned

"Then who is it?"

Tea stared at the phone again

"…It's…my dance instructor."

* * *

_(FLASHBACK)_

Domino City

Tea kept her hands buried deep inside her pockets, trying desperately to keep herself warm as she headed down the sidewalk. The freezing ambiance all around her seemed to reflect the cold she felt inside her heart. She had just finished talking to Miss Reyuna about the acceptance letter she had received from Julliard a few days ago.

Her mind was a sweltering mixture of frustration and uncertainty as she willed herself to stay focused.

* * *

_~~approximately 30 minutes ago~~~_

"I'm sorry Tea, when Mr. Anton asked me about the application I couldn't refuse. I knew it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you."

Tea looked at her dance instructor with worried eyes, sighing as she looked away, not wanting to reveal her feelings.

Miss Reyuna studied Tea's expression, confused as to why she was so upset.

"…Tea, I don't understand…I thought you would be glad to get an opportunity like this. What's wrong?"

Tea turned her attention back to her, not knowing exactly how she should respond.

_Yes, she was more than happy about the opportunity to pursue her dreams but what about her relationship with Yami? What about his feelings? _

_She couldn't just leave him behind but at the same time how could she abandon her life long dream, the dream she worked so hard for? _

_Her mind felt like it was splitting into two, what on earth was she going to do? _

_By choosing one she would ultimately lose the other. _

"..I just, I don't want to leave Japan….My whole life is here…that's why I didn't apply in the first place"

"But Tea, a few years back you told me that you wanted to go to Julliard more than anything else. What's changed since then?"

Tea shook her head, not wanting to continue talking. She felt as though the earth was shattering beneath her feet.

"I'm sorry, Miss Reyuna, I can't talk about this anymore…"

Without another word she turned around and headed out the door.

* * *

Tea continued to walk slowly down the sidewalk; her mind still a battlefield of two uncertainties.

When she had managed to make her way through the handful of people hurriedly trying to get to their destinations she finally came to a stop in front of hers.

She looked up at the building she had come to know & love so well, her heart heavy in her chest. She took a deep calming breath and began walking slowly toward the Kame Game Shop.

* * *

Present Day

Kaiba studied Tea's expression.

He watched as she reluctantly pushed the answer button and brought the phone up to her ear.

"…Hello?"

"Tea? Oh I'm so sorry to call you like this…"

Tea paused for a half a second, trying to process the sound of Miss Reyuna's calm and familiar voice.

"..Oh no Miss Reyuna, its fine…it's wonderful to hear from you again…"

Just then before Kaiba could hear her utter another word, there was another light knock on the cabin door.

He sighed to himself, not wanting to leave Tea's side but decided all the same that maybe it was best that he gave her some privacy.

He irritably rose to his feet after gesturing to Tea that he was going to see who was at the door.

She nodded as she waited for a response from Miss Reyuna.

* * *

Kaiba once again swung the door open to find himself once again standing before a fervent looking Mokuba.

"…Uh, sorry big brother…but you got another call."

"Mokuba, didn't I tell you not to take any more calls today."

Mokuba rubbed the back of his neck.

"..Whoops sorry Seto, I forgot that you need your alone time."

Kaiba noticed an obvious glint in Mokuba's eyes when he spoke

"…Humph, whatever."

Without another word he took the cell phone from his younger brother's hand, ignoring the mischievous grin on his face.

* * *

"Tea, how have you been?"

"…I…I've been good, how are you?"

"I'm fine…I went to your uncle's a few days ago but he told me that you had moved out."

"…Yea, I… moved to the city about six months ago."

"Oh, I see."

Tea noticed a hint of hesitation in her voice before she went on.

"…Well the reason I'm calling is that I received a letter from Kiriyu Dance Academy a few days ago."

Tea's heart skipped a beat.

"Kiriyu?"

"Yes they um, they're holding auditions here in Domino in a few weeks, I just thought that you might be interested…Kiriyu was after all the Academy that you chose on your application."

For a moment Tea's heart seemed to be leaping out of her chest. Kiriyu was the Academy that she had originally applied for…the academy that she wanted to attend so that she wouldn't have to leave Japan…but, things have changed since then…She and Yami were no longer…

She felt her excitement crash to the floor before she could think twice.

"…I…I'm sorry Miss Reyuna…but I've given up dancing… I've moved on with my life."

"Please Tea, I know you've been through a lot, but I really do believe in you, and I know you have the potential."

Tea felt herself becoming burdened with overwhelming emotions, emotions that she thought she had buried for good.

"…Thanks, thanks so much for always believing in me, but you have to understand…I've moved on."

"I understand that you have a new life now Tea, but please, all I'm asking is that you at least consider my offer."

Tea sighed hopelessly, pausing for a moment to think it over.

After a lot of deliberation she undecidedly responded

"…Ok, I ...I'll think about coming to the auditions."

Tea could practically see Ms Reyuna's smile over the phone.

"..Thank you Tea, I'll look forward to your answer…but…whatever you decide, I'll support you in your decision."

"…Thanks so much"

"Well, I won't keep you any longer ok, please give me a call when you've thought it over."

"Yes, I will. Thanks for calling Miss Reyuna."

Tea closed her phone, feeling like the world was spinning before her eyes. The dream that she had locked away seemingly forever was suddenly at her door step once again. _What on earth was she going to do? She couldn't possibly go down that path again. Could she? But even if she did, there would be no one around to support her; she'd be all alone, not being able to share her happiness with anyone. _A new frustration forced its way into her thoughts.

Kaiba shut the cabin door again, locking the hatch once more. He turned to look at Tea, who was just now pushing her phone back into her pocket.

Her expression was blank, as if her mind was far away, even further than it was before.

His insatiable need to know the truth was getting stronger, but he knew he couldn't rush into it. She needed to tell him when she was ready.

He walked over to the bed and sat next to her again. She kept her eyes on the floor, deliberately avoiding his stare.

He could practically feel the distress emanating from her body.

He put his hand on her shoulder, so that she would know that he was by her side again.

"Is everything ok?"

She looked at him with a small smile. Her voice was quiet and calm as she responded.

"..Yea, everything's fine."

Somehow her eyes didn't match her smile.

He knew that she was upset about the call she had just received but he couldn't find the will within himself to pry any further. It wasn't his place to demand anything from her; especially at the expense of her feelings.

Tea couldn't help noticing just how 'close' she and Kaiba were becoming. It was as if they were good friends instead of what they really were.

She felt her heart speeding up again as she looked at him.

His blue eyes were much kinder than she remembered and she found herself getting lost in them.

_What the hell was wrong with her?_

_She suddenly realized that no matter how strange it seemed, the truth of the matter was that he was the only one who was by her side at that precise moment. Him and not anyone else; and she was grateful_

_She made up her mind, right there and then that he deserved to know the truth more than anyone else. It was unfair for her to keep pushing him away and leaving him in the dark after everything he had done for her. She felt her emotions filling her heart._

She forced herself to push aside her anxiety.

"…You're such a mystery Kaiba."

Kaiba looked at her perplexed.

"A mystery?"

"…Yea, who would have thought that you could be so…nice."

Kaiba couldn't help himself smiling.

"…So you're saying that you thought I was the devil incarnate?"

Tea couldn't help giggling

"…No, you know what I mean."

Kaiba waited for her to go on, feeling his own pulse increasing despite his reluctance to give in to his feelings.

"…I want you to know that…I appreciate all your help since the day you offered me a job at your company…"

Kaiba felt himself practically turning to mush against his will as he listened to her words.

"…I know you didn't have to do any of those things for me…and yet you did…"

Tea looked him straight in the eyes, letting him see the appreciation that was there.

Kaiba stared back at her without saying anything, trying hard not to let his true feelings spill out.

Suddenly she did something that neither of them could've predicted.

She slowly reached over and draped her arms around him.

Kaiba stayed frozen for a few seconds before responding, not yet grasping what was actually happening.

Her body was intoxicatingly warm against his as she hugged him.

Tea closed her eyes as she held on to him, hoping that he couldn't feel her body trembling with apprehension. She seemed to have acted out of share impulse without thinking about what she was doing. But she decided that it was all she could do to show him her gratitude.

She whispered into his ear, ignoring her fear.

"Thank you so much."

Kaiba felt his heart skip a beat at the gentle resonance of her words.

He fought the shock of the moment and allowed his body to react. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, keeping her confined in his embrace.

He kept his voice quiet so that only she could hear him.

"It's ok, you don't have to thank me."

Tea felt him stroking her hair, causing her body to practically melt with need. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck, feeling as if she would fall into a black hole if she let go.

They stayed in each others arms for a few moments longer, without either of them saying another word.

The silent understanding that they shared was enough for both of them.

When she felt that she was ready, Tea finally gathered the strength within herself to let him go.

She slowly loosened her grip, feeling him do the same.

When they finally let go of each other, Tea immediately turned a bright shade of pink, much to her dismay.

She smiled up at him, and immediately looked away, not wanting him to see her blushing; unfortunately she knew it was already too late.

Kaiba looked down at her, amused at her inability to look at him.

He chose not to say anything for the sake of her tendency to become anxious. But as he looked at her he felt his feelings for her getting stronger; she had no idea just how much her gesture of thanks meant to him.

His need to protect her was now much more than a personal desire, it was a priority. He could see the fragile state that she was in as clear as the morning sky.

She needed to be protected and he was willing to take the entire responsibility into his hands.

But for now, he decided that it was best that he not rush her into opening up to him. He didn't want to put her through any more unnecessary pain. When she was ready, she would talk to him, of that he was certain.

He gave her time to rejuvenate herself.

Tea bit her lip, trying to get a hold of herself.

_Did she really just do that?_

She sighed to herself, knowing that there was no helping the situation now. Her relationship with Kaiba had been officially dubbed 'awkward'.

There was some sort of unspoken truth between them; as if they were somehow evolving into something else.

_But what was it? Was it friendship or was it something….deeper?_

She huffed a frustrated breath as she tried to block out her thoughts.

She knew she had a lot to think about, not to mention the phone call she had gotten a moment ago about the audition for Kiriyu Dance Academy.

_Could she really find the strength within herself to return to that forgotten chapter in her_ _life?_

But whatever the future held for her, she knew she had to face it regardless of her fears.

Just then, before she could drown herself in anymore thoughts, there was a sturdy, more prominent knock on the cabin door. They heard the faint sound of Ryan's voice telling them that it was time to head to the next attraction.

Tea looked at the clock on the wall behind them. It was already 5:30pm.

"Hmm, looks like it's time to get going."

"Oh joy."

Kaiba irritably rose from the bed, looking more like the Seto Kaiba she knew back in high school.

She sighed as she stood up with him, knowing that there was nothing she could do about his rotten attitude.

They both walked toward the cabin door, Kaiba leading the way. When they finally got to the doorway, Kaiba effortlessly unlocked the hatch and opened the wooden door.

The cool forested air immediately rushed into the cabin bringing with it a soothing sensation of tranquility.

Tea allowed the feeling to wash over her entire body, taking a deep breath before stepping out into the shady forest.

Kaiba followed close behind her, casually shutting the door.

Tea yawned quietly as she took a nonchalant step toward the dirt road leading back to the river pool. To her surprise however, Kaiba gently held her back, grasping her by the arm.

Before she could get a chance to turn around he lowered his mouth to her ear causing her to freeze on spot.

"You should get intoxicated more often…who knows what could happen next time."

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his words practically ripple through her entire body, paralyzing her with panic. She pulled herself out of her stupor as he casually let go of her arm.

She forced herself to control her quickening pulse as she reluctantly turned to look at him. To her disgust she saw him smirking at her with a bantering look on his face.

"..That wasn't funny Kaiba!"

"I thought it was."

"Well it wasn't!"

Tea let out a frustrated sigh as she spun around and started walking toward the dirt road, leaving Kaiba staring after her.

Kaiba followed her at a safe distance, shoving his hands into his pockets. For some reason he couldn't help himself when it came to rattling her cage. She was just way too cute when she was all nervous like that. Besides, he wanted to shake her up a bit and get her mind out of the frustration she was in. Of course a little teasing never hurt either; although the sentiment of something actually happening between them wasn't exactly unappealing.

* * *

Tea angrily marched along the dirt road heading toward the river pool where Mokuba and Ryan were waiting. She pouted as she tried to keep ahead of Kaiba, who was relatively close behind.

_What the hell was Kaiba's problem anyway? Why did he have to be such a jerk all the time?_

She bit her lip as she continued walking, her heart still pounding in her chest.

For whatever reason however, his little 'joke' was having a much bigger effect on her than she expected.

She knew he was just trying to push her buttons like he always did but…there was definately something else hidden between his words…something dangerously suggestive.

She was glad that she was ahead of him so he couldn't see her face turning bright red at the thought.

* * *

As they both neared the clearing at the end of the forest, they saw Mokuba waving at them from the side of the pool. He was already back in his regular clothes and looking more hyper than ever.

Tea smiled and waved back, feeling a little less frustrated.

The open atmosphere seemed to be having a positive effect on her.

She knew she had a lot of issues on her plate at the moment, and she knew she couldn't pretend that they weren't there, but for some reason, she had a strange feeling that she would somehow be able to get through it; no matter how impossible it seemed at that point.

* * *

After about half an hour they were all back at the bottom of hill, getting ready to head to the next and final hotspot listed on the brochure.

Ryan had gone into the bar once again to check in with management before they left.

Tea stood by the jeep, allowing herself to enjoy the cool wind blowing through her hair.

She watched with amusement as Kaiba and Mokuba engaged in a heated debate about the all the various money making strategies that hotel managers throw onto their guests.

As she looked at them both, she couldn't help the strange feeling stealing into her heart.

Over the past few weeks, no matter how unexpected it seemed, they were the ones filling all the empty spaces in her life. If someone had told her a few years ago that the Kaiba brother's would be the ones to support her in her time of need one day, she'd have referred them to a mental hospital.

She smiled to herself at the thought.

It was surprising, yes, but the most surprising of all was the older Kaiba. The same old Kaiba who swore himself the mortal enemy of the only man she had ever loved. As she looked at him, she found herself suddenly remembering the heart stopping moment when his lips were inches away from hers. She had to will herself not to turn pink in the face.

_What the hell was he thinking?_

_She knew he had only wanted to distract her from all of her pain but, trying to kiss her? That was a little …extreme…wasn't it?_

She kept her eyes on him as he continued his debate with Mokuba. He was so gorgeous that it was almost frightening_._

_God! You would think that she was one of his fan girls or something._

But she knew she had to be honest with herself. She could no longer associate his name with the word revulsion.

Things were different between them now. There was an unspoken understanding that they shared, one that was difficult to define.

But all the same she knew she had to let him into her past sooner or later. He had earned his rights to it.

All she needed to do now was actually rustle up the courage to tell him.

But as she kept looking at him she realized that opening up to him wasn't exactly the only problem.

There was still the fact that he had tried to kiss her back at the cabin and despite his reason for doing so, his actions made her realize that her feelings for him were a lot deeper than she thought. At first she thought it was attraction but now…now she wasn't so sure.

She sighed quietly to herself, not knowing how to get her mind settled.

Just then, Ryan emerged from the bar, taking his car keys out of his pocket.

"Ok people, time to hit the road again. Next stop, the Coral Reef Hot Springs!"

Both Kaiba and Mokuba ended their debate prematurely as they all prepared to enter the jeep.

Tea took a deep calming breath as she waited for Mokuba to climb into the back seat. She decided to lock her thoughts away until a later date. For now she would just try to enjoy her time at the hot springs; and hopefully find a way to stop herself from thinking about Kaiba.


	15. All My Trust:Part I

Chapter Fifteen: 

All My Trust: Part I

* * *

The drive to the Coral Reef hot springs was a fast and easy one. They had driven only a few kilometers east from the base of the hillside until they came to a narrow road running along the length of the coast.

The view was absolutely breathtaking. From the jeep they were able to get a clear unobstructed view of the beach as it merged into the ocean. The evening sun dipped through the numerous coconut trees lining the side of the road, enhancing the picturesque beauty of the island all around them.

The windows were rolled down so they could even smell the salty ocean air as it gust pass their faces inside the jeep.

Tea sat silently between the two Kaiba brothers feeling her mind drifting off into the moment of solitude.

She never imagined that their vacation would turn out to be this beautiful; it was as if someone had stolen her from her uneventful life and carefully placed her inside a still life picture post card.

At least for the moment, her mind was no longer saturated with negative thoughts; she instead decided to focus on having a good time while she was there; after all, when would she ever get another opportunity like this one? She thought about it; _hmmm, probably never_. She smiled inwardly at herself, feeling a bit silly having such a discussion inside her head. Nevertheless, she had made her decision. She would deal with the mess that was her life some other time.

After about 10 minutes of driving along the coast, the road finally curved into a hill leading up the side of another forested area of the island. They followed the road until they came to a clearing much like the one back at the forest reserve waterfall.

They drove to an empty stretch of land, where they parked next to a small wooden sign which read 'Coral Reef Hot Springs'. There was a little arrow next to the name, pointing west.

They all stepped out of the jeep, Tea instinctively looking in the direction in which the arrow was pointing.

To her surprise however there wasn't a building anywhere in sight, instead there was a fairly wide wooden bridge extended over a shallow stream of water. There was thick forest and plant life as far as her eye could see.

The ocean was close by so they could still hear the waves crashing against the shore. The effect was unexpectedly relaxing.

After a few minutes Ryan and Kaiba finally managed to get all the bags out of the trunk.

Having bookings for only one night, their load was nevertheless moderately light.

"Ok Guys, we've finally gotten to our last but certainly not least, hot spot of the day…"

Kaiba rolled his eyes once again as Ryan elaborated.

After another one of his detailed briefings, he finally led them toward the bridge, which he explained would lead them straight to the hot spring resort at the end of the forest.

As they walked closer however, to her alarm, Tea noticed that the bridge was actually much higher than it appeared at first glance.

As they approached the landing, she found herself starting to panic.

Kaiba noticed her reaction right away.

_So she was afraid of heights: funny he never noticed that before_.

He watched with disgust as Ryan suddenly approached her.

"Uh Oh; looks like someone's afraid of heights."

Kaiba scoffed to himself.

_Talk about stating the obvious._

Tea was holding onto the wooden post and looking down nervously at the stream below them. She couldn't seem to make another step onto the bridge.

Ryan smiled with real concern in his eyes.

"It's ok Miss, it'll be fine; the trick is not to look down ok."

She bit her lip nervously without responding; her worry sculpted deeply over her expression.

Kaiba sighed hopelessly, knowing that he would obviously be expected to offer his assistance. Inwardly, he had absolutely no problem doing just that, outwardly however, he had a certain reputation to uphold. Weighing the options he opted for the gentleman's approach. After all, there was no press or flashing lights around, his reputation would, for the most part at least, remain reasonably untarnished. What Ryan thought was of little importance.

Not waiting for any invitations, he boldly walked over to where Tea stood rooted to the spot. He shot Ryan a deathly cold glance before turning his attention to her.

Tea seemed a bit too concerned with the river below them to even notice that Kaiba was now standing at her side.

The sternness in his voice however instantly stole her attention.

"Damn it, do you always have to turn everything into a daytime drama series?"

Tea met his eyes.

She noticed with some surprise that the feelings reflected in them didn't quite match the callous tone of his voice.

There was something soft etched within his gaze.

For a brief moment, the world around her seemed to have shattered and fallen away.

She stared up at him, unable to utter a single word.

"Just hold on to me, when we cross, we don't have time to stand around here and wait for you to grow a backbone!"

"Uh, o-ok"

She cursed her own voice for betraying her.

_Was Kaiba actually offering to help her?_ The questioned beckoned inside her mind but was quickly over ruled.

_Why not? He'd been helping her ever since she landed the job at Kaiba Corp. As she had concluded before, they didn't exactly have the same kind of relationship that they had before. Things were different now... _

Kaiba kept his eyes rooted to hers as he gestured for her to follow him onto the bridge; silently hoping that he wasn't over playing his role as the 'King of Jerks'. Luckily, she seemed a lot more interested in the distance between her and the water beneath them than his overly bad-tempered disposition.

He stepped casually onto the wooden bridge, his expression somber.

"Come on"

Tea looked at him with a worried look, reluctant to follow suit.

Sighing impatiently, he tried again.

"Come on, it'll be fine, just trust me."

Tea looked at him, noticing right away that his words were genuine.

By the tone of his voice it was obvious that he felt the same way she did. They had developed something that might be considered a – friendship with each other. However, disturbing and unusual that might be, she was grateful for his generosity.

She had to literally shake herself out of the daze. She drew her attention from him back onto the water below them. She swallowed hard, knowing that there was no getting around it. She would have to face up to this.

She took a deep deliberate breath, nodding nervously as she cautiously took her first step onto the wooden bridge, Kaiba standing reassuringly at her side. Tea felt it wobble under her feet as she forced herself to take a second step.

She tried in vain to steady herself but found that she couldn't. Before she could embarrass herself any further however she felt, a sturdy arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at Kaiba, feeling the heat rushing to her checks.

"I told you just hold onto me, and stop making something as stupid as this into a big deal already!"

"Ok."

Her voice was small and laced with reluctance as she forced herself to comply.

Feeling her face practically glowing with awkwardness she preceded once more, timidly wrapping her arm around Kaiba's back for support. Luckily she was a bit preoccupied; otherwise she would, without a single doubt, spontaneously combust on spot.

Ryan nudged Mokuba in the arm suggestively as they both watched in gleeful silence.

"He tries to hide it, but it's pretty obvious isn't it."

Mokuba couldn't help the grin spreading over his face.

"…Yup."

* * *

After a few long, uncomfortable minutes they all finally managed to cross the bridge without incident.

Tea was still glowing bright red by the time she and Kaiba parted ways at the end of the bridge. Her heart was pounding so hard, she swore everyone else could hear it.

Kaiba cleared his throat, in a lame attempt to readjust himself.

Apparently Tea wasn't the only one so affected by such a simple act of kindness.

By mere force of habit recently, he inwardly scolded himself.

After making sure that they were all settled, Ryan intervened.

He explained that the hot springs were only a few kilometers away once they got past the thin patch of trees that were straight ahead of them.

Tea managed to pull herself together, forcing herself to forget her little "scared of heights' episode and proceeded to follow Ryan and the others into the thin forest.

Once inside the patch of trees, Tea noticed that there was a narrow stone walkway winding its way through the middle of the forest. The canopy above them gave their surroundings a sheltered botanical look as they all walked along the path.

After a few minutes they finally got to the end of the forest.

Sure enough, as soon as they emerged out into the clearing, a fairly large white building stood directly in front of them.

Tea marveled at its beautiful architecture, which was complimented well with a diverse selection of decorative flowers and palm trees.

There was a young man standing at the entrance who was waving at Ryan, gesturing that they should head over in his direction.

Ryan headed over to him, apparently to exchange certain information. When they were finished with the formalities he turned his attention back to them.

"Ok guys, I'm afraid this is where we part ways. This gentleman is going to take over form here on. His name's Leon and he'll be responsible for the rest of your time here at the hot springs..."

The young man, now identified as Leon, smiled politely at them as Ryan went on with his introduction.

Kaiba looked at them both with the word BOREDOM plastered plainly across his face.

It was no secret that he wanted nothing better than to get the rest of the afternoon over and done with.

After a few minutes Ryan finally left, leaving them under the supervision of their new and apparently more experienced tour guide.

He gave them a warm welcome and invited them to follow him inside.

* * *

Inside the building was even more glamorous than the outside. A mixture of blue and white marble graced the flooring and the walls were lined with an expensive looking coating of peach accompanied by a light but effective glaze of glitter dust.

In keeping with the Caribbean theme, there were also a varied assortment of small indoor plant life and wild flora arranged professionally throughout the lobby.

Tea also noticed as soon as she entered the building that there was also a soothing aroma of fresh spring mixed in with a touch of lavender in the air. The air conditioned atmosphere accentuated the effect quite nicely.

They all followed closely behind Leon until they came to a stop at the check in counter.

Leon explained to the female clerk that they would be needing accommodations for one night only, special reservation VIP package.

The young woman nodded politely, obviously trying to contain herself in the presence of Kaiba.

Tea sighed quietly to herself...

_Sheesh, How typical._

The young woman stood up from her seat and turned to the shelf behind her. She retrieved a set of key cards and turned to hand them over to Leon, all the while staring at Kaiba as if she were in a trance.

Kaiba of course, rolled his eyes with impatience as he waited for Leon to get on with his briefings.

Leon smiled warmly at them as he handed Mokuba the first key card.

He then turned to Kaiba and handed him the other.

Tea waited patiently for Leon to do the same for her. To her bafflement however, there didn't seem to be any other key cards available.

"Ok, I'll take you all up to your rooms now and then we can…"

"…Um, sorry to interrupt sir but…I didn't get a keycard."

Tea timidly intervened, feeling all of their eyes suddenly focused on her.

Leon frowned as he looked at her with a slightly confused expression on his face.

"…Oh, no Miss, um you'll be sharing with Mr. Kaiba…"

Tea suddenly felt her heart slam into overdrive.

"…What?"

"..Um, we…assumed that you two would prefer…a couple suite so we booked you together..."

Leon appeared to be slipping between perplexity and panic as he looked at both her and Kaiba simultaneously.

Kaiba immediately intervened as well.

"Did anyone ask you people to make assumptions?"

"..Well no Mr. Kaiba, but…"

"Are there any other rooms still available for her?"

"Um, let me check with Lisa ok…Please excuse me"

A nervous Leon immediately turned to head toward the check in counter.

Tea kept silent not daring to look at Kaiba. She felt her self involuntarily turning red at the thought of the two of them sharing a room.

Just then, after a few minutes, Leon returned, looking even more nervous than he did before; he hesitated slightly before opening his mouth to speak.

"..Um, I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba, but all the other rooms are… already booked."

Tea bit her lip nervously feeling her body practically bursting with horror.

_This couldn't be happening? Her, actually sharing a room with Kaiba! There's no way she would survive!_

_There had to be something Kaiba could do. There's no way he would allow this to happen right?_

Her thoughts were going a million miles per hour.

She waited quietly for Kaiba's response.

Kaiba glared at Leon with his arms folded, not saying a word, but looking like he was about to come to a decision.

He sighed irritably as he turned to head to the elevator ahead of them.

"Fine, then I guess it can't be helped…"

_WHAT?_

Tea felt her knees become weak, a sickly feeling growing at the pit of her stomach.

_Did she just hear him right?_

_This couldn't be happening!  
_

She forced herself to remain calm as she followed them all into the elevator.

* * *

Everyone was silent as the elevator doors parted. No one more so than the terrified looking Leon, who now seemed more like a fragile ice sculpture on the verge of melting into the flooring.

He stepped out into the hallway ahead of them, politely gesturing for them to follow.

After a few moments they all stopped at room numbers twenty four and twenty five respectively.

After an epigrammatic pause, Leon continued his briefings, constantly apologizing between sentences for the misunderstanding.

Kaiba merely scoffed, ignoring the gesture completely.

When he was finished he bid them an enjoyable stay and headed back down the hall, looking a bit too pleased about leaving.

Tea watched as he disappeared behind the elevator doors.

Kaiba was the first to break the silence.

"Humph, Is _every_ staff member on this island a blundering idiot?"

He immediately turned to room twenty four, looking extremely aggravated.

"I should have everyone in this god damn building fired!"

Mokuba looked apprehensively at his brother as he thought of something appropriate to say.

"Um Seto, it's not really the hotel's fault…'

He chose his words carefully.

"They just assumed…"

"Mokuba, I didn't pay all of this money for incompetent service! Did anyone even bother to ask?"

"But Seto, if it were me, I would assume the same thing…"

Sighing loudly, Kaiba made it crystal clear that it was just about time to cut the conversation short.

Tea stood quietly, not wanting to bring any unnecessary attention to herself.

Mokuba understood his brother's gesture right away and quickly complied, leaving his sentence unfinished.

"We might as well get this over and done with!"

With that said he irritably opened the door and stormed inside, leaving Tea and Mokuba staring after him.

Tea looked down at Mokuba with a look of desperation on her face.

"This can't be happening! I can't go in there Mokuba, your brother might rip me to shreds!"

Mokuba couldn't help his laughing.

"Don't worry Tea, he won't, I promise. He's just a bit cranky but…. I'm sure you'll find a way to cheer him up."

"Yea, I doubt that."

She bit her lip, looking at the partially opened door where Kaiba had disappeared just beyond. _Was this really happening? Was she just about to step into a hotel room with Seto Kaiba?The thought seemed fabricated and too far from reality, yet there it was, written boldly in black and white!_

Mokuba studied Tea's expression. She was worried, and he could tell that it was authentic.

_Did his brother really have that much of an effect on her? Then again Seto did have a way of being extremely intimidating sometimes.. _

_Maybe he should try to get her off the hook this time.  
_

He looked up at her with concerned eyes.

"Um, well if it's that much of a problem for you Tea, I can always give you my room. It's no problem if me and Seto bunk together instead."

Tea felt a sudden rush of relief wash over her chest, yet before she could respond it was immediately replaced by something which felt a lot like….disappointment.

_What the hell? _

She couldn't understand why, but somehow Mokuba's words pushed her to the realization that what she was feeling was not in fact fear but...something more along the lines of... _excitement_.

_Was she actually in some sick way looking forward to spending a night with Seto Kaiba?_

She paused without a reply, trying desperately to come to terms with the thoughts swimming around in her mind.

Mokuba noticed with curiosity that she was clearly having an internal debate inside herself.

_Hmm, interesting..._

He waited patiently for her response.

After some brief moments, Tea finally brought her attention back to Mokuba.

As she spoke she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Um, no that's ok Mokuba, I wouldn't want to put you out of your way or anything."

"Are you sure? Because it's no problem at all for me."

He waited for her to make her final decision.

Finally she opened her mouth to speak. Resolve and worry plastered across her brow.

"…Yea, it's fine, I think I'm probably just over thinking this a bit. So don't worry, I'll be ok."

Mokuba smiled warmly, feeling satisfied with her response.

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll meet you guys back out here in a few minutes and then we can head back downstairs together ok."

"..Ok, I'll see you in a bit then."

"Cool."

With that said, Mokuba turned to his room and headed inside, leaving her standing in the hallway, wondering what the hell just happened.

* * *

Kaiba threw his bag onto the bed, feeling lousy.

The very thought of spending the night with Tea was eating away at his brain.

_What the hell was he going to do now? This was definitely going to make things a million times more complicated._

He let out a frustrated breath as he visually inspected the bedroom.

He didn't need to be a genius to figure out exactly what kind of ambiance the hotel was going for. One glance was enough to decipher that 'couple' was without a doubt the key factor here. Everything practically screamed, 'romantic'…even the smell; courtesy the assortment of cashmere & silk scented candles placed strategically around the room.

Feeling even more frustrated than he was before, he decided that he should try to get some fresh air. His mind felt like a boiling pot of water about to spill over.

He headed straight out into the balcony. Luckily, it seemed that every building on the island came with a spectacular view of the ocean. In his current state of mind, it was a welcoming change of scenery.

* * *

Tea stepped nervously into the room, instinctively searching for Kaiba. To her relief he was nowhere in sight. She noticed that the bedroom door was slightly ajar. She assumed that he had probably started getting dressed for the hotsprings already.

Her heart thumped loudly inside her chest as she turned to close the door behind her.

When she was finished she turned to the room again, drinking in the sight before her.

This room was noticeably smaller than the one back at the Ocean View. The living room was compact yet spacious, with two large, over stuffed, camel color sofas with a huge flat screen television on the opposite end.

Most of the hard wood furniture she assumed were all Maple, beautifully customized and designed with detail in mind.

Her heart was still racing as she walked further into the room, not knowing exactly what she should do next. She placed her bag onto one of the sofas and indulged herself in her surroundings. She ran her fingers over the shinny woodwork on one of the small dinning cabinets as she walked through the living room, delighting in the feel of it. If it wasn't for all the jitters in her stomach, she would've actually forgotten that she was just one of the regular people and not a celebrity like Kaiba. The moment she thought of his name, she felt her pulse speeding up again.

_God, what the hell was wrong with her? Why was she allowing herself to become so swept away by all of this? _

Just then, the bedroom door opened, a disgruntled looking Kaiba emerging from inside.

As he turned to the living room, their eyes met instantly.

Kaiba swallowed hard at the sight of her.

Lord knows she wasn't the only one who recognized the awkward situation they had suddenly found themselves in.

Luckily he was the one and only Seto Kaiba, and his expression never changed for a second.

Tea looked back at him, trying in vain to master the butterflies in her stomach.

Prying her mind away as best as she could; she noticed that he was still dressed in regular attire.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds longer until Tea found the strength within herself to break it.

"Um, aren't you getting changed?"

Kaiba scoffed as he casually walked further out into the living room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"What for?"

"Well, aren't we supposed to go downstairs to the hotsprings?"

"Hmph, you actually think I'm gonna waste my time on something as pointless as that?"

"Then you're not going?'

Kaiba walked past her and straight into the pantry.

"Obviously."

Tea watched as he opened the small refrigerator; rummaging through its contents as if he couldn't care less.

In an instant she felt her jitters slowly starting to fade away.

"But Mokuba's counting on you being there."

Without so much as looking her way, he finally managed to get his hands on a can of soda. He tore the cap off and took a sip before responding.

"Look, I already told you guys that the only reason I'm here was so I wouldn't have to listen to you two bothering me all day about coming out of my hotel room!"

"…But…"

For some reason she couldn't seem to find something suitable enough to say to him.

"Look, would you just drop it already, I'm not going down and that's final."

He glanced at her for a fraction of a second as he walked past her and into the living room with his soda in hand.

Tea watched as he obliviously reached for the remote control.

As she watched in silence the greater portion of her jitters had by then already vanished, leaving only a swell of anger in their place.

"Why are you always so stubborn about everything?"

Her words stopped him before he could do anything further.

He turned to look at her.

He noticed that her eyes were intense and she was glaring at him intently.

"So I'm stubborn because I don't want to do something that's meaningless?"

"But even if _you_ think it is, can't you think of someone else for a change? Your brother's really worried about you! He's afraid you might work yourself to death! Can't you see that? Or don't you care?"

Kaiba listened to her words closely. By her tone he could tell she was a bit upset…and who could blame her. He _was_ going out of his way to uphold the title of the King of Jerks after all. But it was only so he could mask his true intentions; He couldn't expect her to understand his motives, at least not yet anyway, so it was all he could do for now.

He kept his eyes glued to hers, jumping at the opportunity to push the envelope again.

"You know if you're that worried about me, you can just say so."

Tea immediately felt herself turning pink in the face; his words catching her completely off guard.

She forced herself not to break eye contact; not wanting to give herself away.

"Well…. we _both_ are."

She took a deep calming breath as she immediately reached for her bag sitting on the couch, grabbing at the chance to cut the conversation off while she was still in control of the butterflies in her stomach.

Kaiba however, would not be pushed away so easily.

"Is that so?"

Tea switched her attention back over to him, gripping her duffel a bit tighter than she intended. The evil glint in his eyes were enough to send her butterflies rushing right back.

She responded quickly, knowing that her voice would only betray her again, but it was a fact that couldn't be helped. For whatever reason she needed to get away from him;

She was starting to lose trust in her own actions when she was around him.

"...Well you do what you want….and I… think I should go get ready now, I don't want to keep your brother waiting…"

She stepped back a few steps so as to distance herself from him.

_What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly so nervous? _

Kaiba watched as she turned and headed into the bedroom, shutting the door loudly behind her.

_Was it just his imagination or did she practically run away from him just now._

_Great, Looks like the little cabin incident was still fresh in her mind_. Who could blame her though; him trying to kiss her wasn't exactly what you'd call 'normal'. This was definitely not very healthy for his cause. Of course, she had no idea how cute she was when she was all nervous like that, but he couldn't let himself get distracted by such things. Despite his amusement however he hoped things would eventually cool down between them so he could finally get to the bottom of all his curiosity. For now he would just give her some time to rejuvenate.

* * *

Tea sat quietly at the edge of the bed, not knowing exactly what she should do next.

She stared at the floor, her worried expression never changing.

_Just what the hell did she manage to get herself stuck in this time?_

She dragged her eyes over to the door in front of her.

She swallowed hard, knowing that Kaiba was standing just outside.

It annoyed her that she seemed to have less than zero control over her emotions at this point.

_What the hell was wrong with her anyway?_

She felt her body becoming heavy and immobile, as if her reluctance to face him was actually having an adverse effect on her physical being.

_God! This was absolutely ridiculous!_

She forced herself to look at her watch.

It was exactly 6:00pm in the afternoon.

Ok, good, that left enough time for her to gather her thoughts and figure out exactly what she was going to do about their sleeping arrangements. Lord knows, if anything, _that_ was by far the most troubling of their predicament.

She took a deep deliberate breath and with much difficulty stood up from the bed.

Her resolve would remain untainted; she was just going to enjoy her time at the hot springs and soak in all of the pampering she could handle for the remainder of the afternoon.

She quickly gathered a few of her toiletries as she headed straight into the bathroom to get herself ready.

* * *

_About 15 minutes later..._

_

* * *

_

Kaiba folded his arms as he reclined onto one of the sofas in the small but surprisingly classy living room.

He was staring at the bedroom door, his mind focused on one thing and one thing only; the flustered brunette behind it.

_What should he do? What could he do?_

He had her all to himself, but to his surprise, the thought scared him more than anything else.

His feelings for her were not something that he could hide forever and he wasn't one to lie to himself. A situation like this one could provoke those feelings beyond his control.

But the last thing he wanted to do was put her in an uncomfortable situation. He knew she wasn't ready for what he had to offer.

Not wanting to drive himself insane, he switched his mind over to the other aspect of the spectrum; His need to find out the truth about her past.

As he recalled, when they were back at the cabin, she was about to open up to him, but they had been interrupted.

_Would she still be willing to resume their conversation?_

He sighed, not knowing what the right course of action should be.

Just then, the knob on the bedroom door slowly turned. He kept his eyes focused as he watched her emerge from the bedroom.

Once again, their eyes met instantly.

Kaiba had no trouble at all keeping his face void of any emotion.

Tea on the other hand immediately averted her gaze, obviously trying to hide her apprehension.

Kaiba kept his eyes fixated on her, admiring the way she always bit her lip when she was nervous.

She fiddled with her t-shirt as she thought of something to say.

Finally, after a few moments of heavy silence, she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"…So have you changed your mind about coming with us?…"

"And why would I do something like that?"

Tea sighed hopelessly, knowing it was futile to even try.

"Fine, I know I won't be able to change your mind so I won't even bother anymore."

She started toward the door, pausing before heading outside.

"…I'll…see you when I get back."

Kaiba watched as she disappeared behind the door, looking like she was carrying a world of frustration on her shoulders.

* * *

(Downstairs Lobby)

Both Tea and Mokuba listened intently to Leon, who was busily giving them small briefings about the Hot Springs and the various options that were available to them that evening.

Tea noticed that Mokuba wasn't his usual over zealous self after she told him that his brother wouldn't be joining them that evening.

As she halfheartedly listened to Leon's lecture, she couldn't help herself feeling extremely annoyed at Kaiba for making his little brother worry the way he did.

She decided that she would have to give him a piece of her mind when she went back upstairs later that night, provided she didn't fall apart under his intimidation like she always did of course.

After a few minutes, Leon finally finished speaking. He informed them that and it was now time to head over to the hot springs. Apparently the VIP guests had quite a bit of options to choose from. They could either head on over to the open bath area where they could soak in the open atmosphere under the cover of night or they could choose an evening of pampering complete with their own private masseuse.

Feeling a bit indecisive about so many inviting options, Tea finally decided to take the Jasmine package, which included a private bath at an outdoor Jacosy of her choosing, along with a complete spa treatment and full body massage.

Mokuba, who was obviously used to living large, opted to take the same package.

Leon proceeded to lead them straight to their destination after they had finalized their decision.

Mokuba sighed as he glanced upstairs.

"I really wish Seto had come with us."

Tea looked down at a worried Mokuba.

"It's ok Mokuba, at least he's getting some rest up in his room right now. I mean we can't really expect your brother to partake in something like this right. He's Seto Kaiba remember."

Tea was glad to see a smile spread across his face.

"Yea, I guess you're right. This really isn't Seto's thing, so I guess its ok."

"Yep"

Tea smiled back feeling a lot better now that Mokuba was back to his old self again.

They both followed Leon down the hallway until they finally got to the guest lounge bath house.

* * *

Upstairs

_(_Kaiba and Tea's room_)_

Kaiba grudgingly opened his suitcase in the hopes of finding something a bit more comfortable to wear. He had already made himself at home and taken a quick shower shortly after Tea had left the apartment.

He stood in the bedroom in nothing but a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his hand, searching in vain for one of his t-shirts with the other.

Finally he grabbed the first one he could find and proceeded to head to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

When he was finished he headed back into the bedroom where he quickly changed into a regular pair of trousers.

Pausing without much cause, he surveyed the entire room.

The bed was King sized and the lighting was extremely dull but in a good way, romantic would be an understatement; Under the cover of night it was more like a newlywed couple's fantasy….

_Ok…this… was definitely not good!_

How on earth was he and Tea supposed to share the same bed? In a bedroom like this one no less!

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, feeling indecisive.

_This was ridiculous! Why was he getting himself all worked up about this?_

_They were both sensible adults right? There was no way either of them would allow anything to happen._

_He was just over thinking this whole thing! _

Feeling a bit pissed off at himself he headed straight into the living room. Maybe the TV would serve as a means of distraction.

* * *

(Upstairs Hallway) 8:00pm

Tea and Mokuba made their through the hallway feeling refreshed.

The hot spring treatment had passed by quickly, neither of them realizing just how fast time had suddenly gone by.

Tea took a long deep breath, feeling the soothing atmosphere filling her lungs. All the tension in her body was gone and she felt as if a ton had been lifted off of her shoulders.

As they approached the hotel rooms however, a queasy feeling leeched its way back into her stomach.

Apparently the pampering made her forget all about why she was so uneasy in the first place; standing in the hallway looking up at her hotel room however was just enough to send everything crashing back down on top of her.

_How could she have forgotten?_

There was still the pressing matter of a certain CEO who happened to be just beyond the door in front of her.

She felt her heart sinking fast.

"So what do you think?"

Mokuba's voice broke into moment of apprehension, yanking her back into the present.

"Huh?"

"What did you think about the hot springs? Did you like the message treatment?"

She looked down at him as if she had forgotten he was standing next to her.

"Oh, Yeah, it was great!

She forced herself to smile at him.

Unfortunately Mokuba had the same kind of intuition as his older brother.

He sighed as he kept his eyes focused on her.

"Don't worry Tea, It'll be ok."

His words took her by surprise causing her to turn red in the face.

"Oh, sorry Mokuba, I… seem to be getting a case of the jitters again."

She held up her hand before he could respond.

"But, I'm fine, don't worry, It's just a habit of mine to exaggerate."

"Are you sure? My offer still stands you know. We can always swap rooms for the rest of the night."

Tea considered his offer seriously for a moment. She looked at the door in front of her, her heart beating heavy in her chest.

_Should she really take him up on his offer?_

_Should she…simply run away from this?_

She looked back down at him, allowing herself to come to a decision.

"…It's ok Mokuba, I'll be fine. Like I said, I'm just over thinking again."

Mokuba looked back at her, studying her expression. He could tell that her decision was a reluctant one, but it was a decision she had made on her own. All he could do now was respect it.

"Ok, well, then I guess I'll see both of you tomorrow morning."

"Yeah."

Mokuba noticed that there was still worry written all over her face.

"Try not to worry so much ok, under all that hostility, my big brother's actually really nice Tea, he won't murder you in your sleep I promise."

He was glad to see a smile spread across her face.

He turned to run to his room, waving back at her in the process.

"Well Good night."

"Good night."

Tea watched as he opened the door to his room and disappeared inside.

She bit her lip as she turned her attention back to the door in front of her.

_Well, it was now or never; Time for her to make a complete fool of herself once again._

_There was no doubt in her mind that her butterflies would be compelling the majority of her actions for the rest of the night._

_So there was nothing left to do now, but to face this._

_Crap, maybe she should've taken Mokuba up on his offer._

She took a deep breath as she reached for the door knob.

Just then before she could wrap her fingers around it the door suddenly yanked open.

To her complete astonishment she found herself staring up at the one and only Seto Kaiba, who looked a little surprised to see her standing in front of him.

The moment caught her completely off guard; she could feel her face turning bright pink as she looked up at him, feeling a bit winded.

Kaiba looked down at her, immediately regaining full control of the situation.

"Where's Mokuba?"

"Uh,..h-he's in his room already."

Without so much as another word Kaiba walked past her and headed over to Mokuba' room.

She noticed that he was holding his cell phone in his hand and looking more annoyed than usual.

She decided that maybe it was best if she took this opportunity to go inside. At least for the moment, while he was out here she wouldn't have to face him directly.

She stepped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar.

The TV was on and there was a can of soda resting on one of the tables next to the couch.

For some reason, she couldn't help smiling.

_Looks like Kaiba was human after all_.

Somehow, she couldn't picture him lying on a couch watching TV like a normal person. She always pictured his personal life with him sitting behind a desk, or a laptop, lost in his work. It's funny she never could imagine what he was like underneath the surface; His hobbies, his likes and dislikes, what kind of movies he liked? What his favorite food was, or color, or even… if he liked popcorn?

She stopped herself before she could continue. _What the hell was she doing? Why was she suddenly thinking about all of those things?_

She sighed hopelessly as she headed straight into the bedroom.

As she dropped her bag onto the floor she wondered what Kaiba had wanted to speak to Mokuba about. She guessed it was something to do with 'Rebeeca' again.

She sat on the bed, blowing some of her bangs up away from her eyes, only just slipping into the realization of the bedroom's atmosphere.

Somehow everything looked different at night. She was unfamiliar with the aroma emanating from the scented candles but they were definitely made with the word 'romantic' in mind.

A new panic rushed into her mind.

She was vulnerable. Somehow, as a result of being around Kaiba so often, she seemed to have lost her ability to master her own emotions.

She stared at the bedroom door, lost in thought. Maybe she should stop over thinking this. This was the same Seto Kaiba she had known back in high school. She shouldn't give in to all this worry.

They weren't kids anymore. She should know better.

But, the truth was that they weren't who they used to be- and now, with everything's that's happened, there was something unspoken hanging in the air above them.

How could she just simply act as if nothing had changed.

She sighed deeply to herself, trying to find a way to stop herself from thinking so hard.

She forced her thoughts onto another subject.

Immediately, her dance instructor's phone call flashed across her mind.

That's right! She seemed to have forgotten all about the upcoming audition!

_Apparently, Kaiba had become a bigger distraction than she thought._

She scolded herself for allowing such thoughts to get the better of her.

But the question still remained. The one that she had been avoiding all this time was still there.

_Should she really start dancing again? _

After everything that's happened, she was reluctant to say yes.

But there was something about the thought of being on stage again that made her heart want to leap out of her chest with excitement.

_Was it even possible to find something she thought she had lost forever? _

The question brought her memories crashing into her without warning.

_Yami_.

His face was all she could see whenever she thought about chasing after her dreams again.

_Why did her life seem so cruel and unfair sometimes? Why did it have to happen?_

_How could something so strong and so beautiful crumble so easily?_

She sat on the bed, lost in her own world; forgetting everything around her.

But despite all of the hesitation building up inside of her mind, she knew she couldn't run anymore. She needed to come to a decision, and soon. If this was something she truly wanted, this could very well be her last chance to attain it.

She sighed again, breaking herself out of her thoughts.

She looked at her watch. It was a little after eight.

She decided to put a halt on all of her thinking for a while so she could change into something a bit more comfortable. Lord knows this was going to be a long night.


	16. All My Trust:Part II

Chapter Sixteen: 

All My Trust: Part II

* * *

(Coral Reef Hot Spring Resort)

Kaiba and Tea's Room

8:30 pm

Kaiba stepped into the hotel room, feeling aggravated.

He had just finished giving Mokuba a piece of his mind and was starting to feel a bit hungry.

He visually searched the room for any sign of Tea. She was nowhere in sight. He assumed that she retreated into the confinements of the bedroom again.

He closed the door behind him, heading straight into the pantry.

He yanked the refrigerator open once more in the hopes of finding something to eat.

Unfortunately there seemed to be nothing that sparked his interest.

He decided that the best course of action would be to order room service.

He headed over to the phone sitting on the small table next to the couch. As he reached for the receiver he suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone; Tea might be hungry as well.

He stopped as he looked in the direction of the bedroom.

_Should he ask her?_

From the way she had been acting, it seemed as if she were trying her best to avoid him.

He sighed hopelessly deciding that it couldn't be helped.

They would have to face each other eventually; she would just have to deal with it.

He walked over to the bedroom door, which he assumed would be locked tight.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before knocking.

Tea jumped at the sound of the light rapping sound against the door.

Her heart skipped a beat, knowing that it was Kaiba.

She hadn't finished changing and was clad in nothing but her underwear. She pulled her T-shirt over her head, reassuring herself that she had locked the door. Her girlish instinct however kicked into full gear. She desperately reached for her towel, in an attempt to wrap it around herself, T-shirt and all.

Before she had a chance to respond however she heard Kaiba's muffled voice pierce its way through the wooden door.

"Hey, I'm ordering room service, when you're finished you can come out and have a look at the menu - And just so you know, if you're not out in the next five, I'm ordering without you!"

His words weren't clear but his attitude was crystal.

She blew out a breath of relief, glad that he hadn't attempted to come inside.

_Room Service?_ She didn't even know that someone could order this late.

_Then again…_

Sighing quietly, she didn't even need to finish the sentiment.

She quickly pulled herself together and got changed as fast as she could manage.

She didn't even realize how hungry she was up until now.

Slipping her feet into a pair of comfortably soft bedroom slippers she nervously prepared herself to face the music.

She stood in front of the bedroom door, willing herself to reach for the door knob.

She felt her heart beating inside her chest as she did.

_God, get it together! Why couldn't she stop herself from acting this way?_

Feeling extremely annoyed with herself she forcefully opened the door.

Kaiba was sitting on one of the couches, his eyes focused on the TV.

As she closed the door, he turned his attention over to her.

He smirked as per usual.

"Guess you were really hungry."

His taunting made it easier to deal with the fact that she was nervous.

She responded normally.

"Very funny."

She walked over to the living room, pursing her lips together, not knowing exactly what she should do next.

Kaiba sensed her uneasiness right away.

He reached for the menu card next to the phone, gesturing for her to take it from him.

She did so almost immediately.

"And try not to take all night deciding."

Without thinking, she took a seat right next to him.

Kaiba casually turned his attention back to the TV, trying in vain to ignore the smell of her perfume.

She looked at the menu, visually scanning its contents. There were quite a few dishes to choose from, unfortunately most of which she weren't familiar with.

After a few short moments she decided to take something simple.

"Hmm, I guess I'll have the beef fillet."

Kaiba seemed a bit surprised at her choice; Beef fillet happened to be one of his favorite dishes as well.

He turned to look at her.

"Good choice."

Tea looked back at him, feeling herself turning pink in the face. She handed him the menu card, looking away before he could see the extent of her blushing.

Kaiba couldn't help noticing the warmth she had brought with her into the room. Somehow being around her like this made him forget that he was ever cranky in the first place.

He decided that despite their predicament, he should at least try to make her night with him, one that she would enjoy.

He rose from his seat and headed over to the phone.

Tea listened as he made the order, noticing that he opted for the same dish.

She turned her attention to the TV in an attempt to stop her heart from racing. She still couldn't seem to make herself relax.

The entire situation was so difficult to wrap her head around.

The movie playing on the screen was an action flick and by the looks of it, not a very good one at that. Luckily the credits were just starting to roll up.

When Kaiba was finished making the order he returned to his seated position at her side.

Her body instantly went rigid.

He reached for the remote and proceeded to flip through the channels; neither of them saying a word to the other.

It was Tea who broke the silence first.

"So you like action movies?"

Kaiba kept his eyes on the TV, surprised at her attempt to make conversation.

"Humph, not really, that was the only thing good on, these channels are pathetic- you'd think for all the money people pay for this, they could at least provide some decent programming!"

Tea couldn't help her amusement. Somehow, his bickering made her feel more relaxed.

Kaiba continued flipping through the channels very much aware of the girl sitting next to him. So far it seemed as though she was starting to feel more at ease around him.

That was good; he had no intentions of ruining his golden opportunity to find out more about her past.

_But, how should he proceed? _

He concluded that the best course of action would be to simply let the night unfold and not try too hard to get any answers from her.

Besides, he was starting to realize that he genuinely liked spending time with her, not just to get the answers he was looking for but for the simple joy of getting to know her better. For some reason he found her quite intriguing. She wasn't like any other girl he'd ever known before. For this reason he was determined to get as much information about her as he could. But he wouldn't rush it; if the night goes by smoothly, everything he needed to know would inevitably fall right into his lap.

He attempted to keep the conversation alive before the moment could fall away into awkward silence again.

"So should I assume that action flicks aren't you're thing?"

She smiled, glad that he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I guess some of them are ok, but I prefer scary movies."

Kaiba glanced at her, surprised by her answer.

"Scary? You? The girl who gets a heart attack every five minutes?"

She couldn't help laughing.

"What? Are you trying to make fun of me?"

"Of course not! Whatever gave you that idea?"

His teasing, sarcastic tone was enough to convey his point.

Tea looked at him as he continued flipping through the channels, so at ease with himself.

She couldn't believe how effortless it was to talk to him sometimes. Who would've thought that he had such a great sense of humor? Come to think of it, she never actually sat and talked with him like this. It was almost as if they were really good friends.

She smiled at his response, feeling her body finally letting go of the tension.

"Hey, I resent that."

He finally stopped flipping, supposedly finding something interesting.

"…But that's good though, I was expecting you go all chick flick on me."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with Romantic movies, I never said I didn't like them."

"True, but it wasn't the first thing you said now was it?"

She smiled again, impressed by his response.

"Hmm, I guess you're right."

Tea noticed that the movie he had chosen was a horror flick. She found it sweet that he was trying so hard to make her comfortable.

She hesitated before asking, but decided that it was the polite thing to do.

"Are you ok with watching this, or would you prefer something else? I wouldn't mind if you wanted to watch a game or something."

Kaiba scoffed, clearly amused at her inference.

"And what makes you think I'm into sports?"

She felt herself turning pink again.

"Well, I just assumed you were, most guys are into that sort of thing."

"Yeah well, I'm not most guys."

Tea smiled to herself at his words. She always found his over confidence somewhat appealing; side effect of being a girl she assumed.

She was glad that the movie was one that she hadn't seen before; she didn't feel like sitting through another re-run.

As the opening credits played through, Kaiba couldn't help noticing that the both of them were sitting fairly close to one another. There were two other couches in the room, yet they both ended up on the same one at such an intimate proximity.

He tried in vain to focus on the movie but found that he was distracted.

_Was it the fact that she smelled like soap and vanilla?_

_Geez, get a grip!_

He forced himself to stop thinking like a teenager.

The minutes seemed to pass by with ease.

* * *

Despite Kaiba's occasional bickering over the movie's supposedly _pathetic_ storyline, they both watched the opening of the movie in pleasant silence; each secretly aware of the other.

After approximately fifteen minutes, a small knock on the door alerted them of the diner they had seemed to have forgotten all about.

Kaiba stood up to open the door.

The hotel attendant happily pushed a small cart of food into the living room.

The young man seemed star struck in Kaiba's presence.

Tea noticed that he was staring at her as if he was trying to figure out who she was.

She concluded that he must think she was a public figure as well and was trying to match her face to someone.

She couldn't help feeling amused at his assumption.

She watched as he organized the dishes.

Kaiba was digging into his pocket, retrieving his wallet so he could pay the tip.

Tea couldn't help feeling out of place. The entire situation seemed so unreal.

She wondered if Kaiba was feeling the same way she was.

She glanced at him.

_Why did he have to be so gorgeous? As if his personality wasn't intimidating enough!_

But somehow being alone with him like this was starting to make her more curious about him.

When they were back at high school together, she never really gave much thought to the fact that he actually had a _personal_ life. His over-confident, head strong personality only served to demolish any assumptions anybody might have about what he might be like underneath; So much so that most people forgot that he was just a regular person. – _An insanely rich, powerful and not to mention good-looking regular person- but a person nevertheless._

Spending so much time with him was somehow making her see him under a different light. He seemed more_, human_ to her now.

Her thoughts were having a field day inside her head and she wondered if anything she was thinking about actually made any sense at all.

But there was one thing she was certain about. She was definitely starting to enjoy to his company_; maybe a little bit too much for her own good._

She watched as Kaiba saw the attendant out. When he was gone, he closed the door and started toward the diner cart.

Tea, kept silent, not knowing what she should do next.

Luckily Kaiba was the one who made the first step.

He returned to her side on the couch, and pulled the cart toward them.

Tea noticed that along with the assortment of dishes there was also a bottle of white wine resting inside an ice bucket filled with ice and cold water.

She guessed it must have been complimentary; however uncanny it may seem, they were staying in a couple suite after all.

For a brief moment her checks suddenly turned pink.

She also noticed that along with the main course, there were also a few appetizers and a small tub of strawberry ice-cream for desert.

She couldn't help feeling pampered at the sight of it all.

Kaiba looked at her, with an amused look.

"You know, you don't have to act so shy all the time, I know you're hungry, so just eat already."

"Well forgive me for being polite, I was just waiting for you."

Kaiba acted as though her words had no effect on him.

_How could she be so damn oblivious to the fact that she was so cute!_

He continued setting up the dishes as his mind drifted off into a world of contemplation.

_Okay so far so good. _

Despite his annoying habit of noticing trifle details about her, he'd say that his night with Tea was going by much smoother than he thought it would; Of course, the night was still reasonably young – and there was still the pressing matter of their sleeping arrangements…

His pulse quickened without warning.

The thought of sharing a bed with her was a bit too much for his brain to comprehend without thinking thoughts that shouldn't be there.

His feelings for her were definitely going to pile a hundred pounds of pressure on his shoulders.

He knew he wasn't the type to lose his composure for something like this but for some reason he wasn't a hundred percent trusting of his own actions around her.

It was more than likely that he would have to sleep out here in the living room. He couldn't risk it. He lost control with her once; who's to say he wouldn't do it again.

He glanced at her for a brief moment. She was pouring salad dressing over one of the dishes.

He knew that her heart was still wounded by whatever happened to her in her past so he knew he couldn't be careless with it.

This was going to be a delicate process, he knew, but he was patient.

He wanted to help her in any way that he could, and if space was what she needed right now, he would offer it to her with no hesitation.

They both ate in another spell of easy silence, occasionally debating over certain scenes of the movie.

Kaiba of course had no trouble playing the role of the most obnoxious critic alive.

Tea found his bickering quite entertaining.

As expected the food was absolutely delicious. Apparently, she had made the right decision. The beef fillet main course was one of the best meals she'd ever tasted.

As she finished the last of it, she noticed that Kaiba was already finished, reclining onto the couch, looking satisfied.

She blushed to herself, trying to get over how attractive he looked.

She'd never seen this side of him before.

When she was finished she put her fork down next to the plate. Her hunger had been dealt with.

She looked at the tub of ice-cream, wondering if it would be alright if she had some. She had always seemed to have a weakness for ice-cream, especially strawberry and chocolate flavored.

She pursed her lips together, reluctantly forcing herself to look at Kaiba.

Her eyes seemed to draw his to hers. He looked back at her, immediately understanding her question without her saying anything.

"You don't need my permission you know."

Tea forced herself not to turn pink again

"Sorry, but I really like ice-cream."

"Well I don't, so you can have it all if you want."

"What? You don't like ice-cream?"

He scoffed, folding his arms, looking stubborn.

"Yea so what?"

"Well…its ice-cream, it's too good _not_ to like."

"I don't do sweet! Besides, it's completely over rated!"

Tea looked at him, studying his expression.

He was such a little kid sometimes. For some reason it warmed her heart.

"Tell you what, how about I give you some of mine, if we share, you won't have to eat a whole helping by yourself."

She waited for a response.

He looked at her, clearly amused.

"You expect me to share with you?"

She shrugged, looking as innocent as ever.

"Sure, I don't see a problem with that."

Kaiba looked at her, feeling himself being overwhelmed by the way he felt about her again.

_Why was she making this so hard? Did she have to be so damn sweet all the time?_

The fact that he was alone with her was making it hard enough!

He used most of his inner strength to push his roaming thoughts back in their proper place before responding.

"You're crazy if you think I'll do something as stupid as that."

Tea smiled, feeling a challenge in his voice.

For some reason she was feeling much more comfortable around him.

She turned to the diner cart and proceeded to scoop out a serving of ice-cream into one of the glass cups.

"You're hopeless Kaiba…"

She finished her task and turned to face him again, holding the serving in her hand, sticking a small spoon into the creamy pink desert.

"But…."

She outstretched the bowl to him, with a warm smile on her face.

"…If it's the last thing I do, you're going to have a taste of this ice-cream."

Kaiba looked back at her, feeling his heart warming up to her. She had no idea what her little gestures of kindness were doing to him.

If only he could tell her.

But he had a role to play. The king of jerks sure as hell didn't eat ice-cream.

But somehow, he knew his mask would eventually fall away. He couldn't hide himself from her. She seemed to be the only girl or person for that matter who could break through his walls without a single effort.

_Why was she making this so difficult for him? Couldn't she tell? Couldn't she notice what was happening?_

He looked at her, his expression somber.

"There's no way you're making me eat that."

Tea noticed that his tone was a bit softer than it usually was.

She kept her eyes locked onto his.

"Is that so?"

Tea had no idea where her new found courage was coming from, but at that moment she somehow felt as though she had the upper hand for once.

She waited for him to respond but to her surprise he looked away. He stared at the floor as though something was bothering him.

"..What's the matter, are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

With that said he unexpectedly rose from his seat.

She looked up at him, feeling a lump building in the back of her throat. She watched as he headed to the pantry.

She suddenly felt a pang of guilt wash over her.

_Oh no! Did she do something to upset him?_

She held the cup of ice cream on her lap, feeling worried.

Kaiba walked into the pantry trying to regain his grip on reality. He needed to get away from her, if only for a minute.

_What the hell was going on?_

_This wasn't like him?_

He yanked the refrigerator open looking for something to drink.

He grabbed the last can of soda from the shelf with aggravation.

Tea turned her attention back to the movie that they seemed to have disbanded all knowledge of.

She played the moments back over in her mind, trying to find the part where she might have said something offensive. Unfortunately she couldn't seem to put her finger on anything.

_Maybe he just had a special kind of loathing for ice-cream._

Before she had a chance to think about anything further however, Kaiba had returned to the living room.

She bit her lip as she watched him take a seat right next to her again.

He looked back at her with a smirk.

"I told you I don't do ice-cream, this will do just fine."

He deliberately held the can of soda up, taking a sip.

Tea smiled; relieved that she had miss-read his reaction.

"You know if you wanted something to drink, there's a perfectly good bottle of white wine right there.'

"_You're_ the alcoholic, not me, remember."

Tea shook her head, as she turned her attention to the movie again, helping herself to a spoonful of delicious strawberry ice-cream.

"Kaiba, you _are_ hopeless."

* * *

The night progressed the same as it did before, easy and in good company; and so they managed to get through the rest of the movie without much interruption.

Despite Kaiba's teasing about her being addicted to alcohol, Tea had helped herself to a few glasses of wine and had fallen into much higher spirits by the time the ending credits rolled up. The uncanny predicament of sharing an apartment with Seto Kaiba was now turning into a regular night spent with an old acquaintance.

Kaiba, never having touched an ounce of alcohol for the duration of the night however, was still very much aware of the situation they were in. His feelings were still there but her lightened mood made it much easier for him to hide them.

As the ending credits rolled up, Kaiba decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands.

"Ok, I think that's enough wine for you tonight."

Kaiba gently pulled the glass from Tea's hand, ignoring her pout of disapproval.

He rose from his seat pushing the diner cart away from them, wine and all.

"Hey I wasn't finished."

"Well you are now."

He headed into the pantry to put the glass and the wine bottle into the refrigerator.

When he was finished he returned to the living room, only to find Tea lying on the couch on her tummy as if she had passed out.

His amusement got the better of him.

He walked over to where she was lying. He took a comfortable seat on the floor in front of her so he could see her face. She was resting her head on one of the fluffy throw pillows, looking at him with a pout on her face.

He couldn't help smiling at the sight of her.

"What's the matter with you?"

"I think I drank too much."

"Well that's a surprise."

She continued staring at him with something meaningful behind her eyes.

"Why are you still being so nice to me?"

Kaiba held her gaze.

"I shouldn't be?"

"You're always so mean to everyone."

"That's because everyone gets on my nerves."

"So I don't?"

He smirked mischievously.

"Not _all_ the time."

She managed a small smile, despite her lousy state. She felt her checks turning red again, but at that point she didn't really care.

Kaiba continued looking at her. If only she knew how beautiful she looked, lying there hugging that pillow.

He decided that, he should use this opportunity to his advantage. He needed to find out; he needed to know more…

"And what about you? You still haven't told me what happened to all that _cheerleader spunk_."

She smiled at the question.

"Too many…negative things have happened to me since we last saw each other."

"Negative things?"

"Yeah…"

She trailed off, sadness washing over her face.

Kaiba noticed right away but decided that it was best to push forward.

A direct approach would be the best one.

"So are you ready to talk to me about it?"

She kept his gaze, holding it seriously for a few seconds before responding.

Finally after a brief internal struggle, she came to her decision.

"Yes…I'm ready."

Her response caught him completely off guard. He was expecting her to dodge the question completely, like she did last time. He studied her expression. She seemed unusually calm about it. He couldn't help but grab at the opportunity to finally grasp the truth.

He lowered his voice as he responded, letting her know that he was ready to be her shoulder to cry on.

"Ok, I'm listening."

Tea took a deep breath so as to gather the strength to delve into her past again.

She wanted him to know, he had earned her trust, all of it.

It was time to let him into her past…

And so… she told him.

She told him everything…

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

Domino City

_Sunday 10:35am_

Tea forced herself to walk through the heavy down pour of snow; her hands freezing inside her knitted mittens.

The Kame Game shop stood just a few feet ahead of her.

Her mind was racing and she hoped to God that she could somehow make things right again.

She had made her decision and she knew without a single doubt in her mind that it was the right one.

This was the second time she'd seen Yami since she found out that she had been accepted into Julliard. He seemed so distant the last time she had shown up at his door. She hoped this time he would be willing to hear what she had to say.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she approached the front door of her destination.

Just then, a familiar face, popped out from behind the door.

It was Yami's Grandfather Solomon.

He smiled brightly as he spotted her approaching the shop.

"Oh Tea, Good morning."

She smiled warmly at the sight of him.

"Hi Mr Mutou, Um is Yami home?"

Solomon replied with a sort of worry etched across his brow.

"Well no he's not, I thought he was with you, he's been acting a bit strange for the past few days, as if something was bothering him, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."

Tea suddenly felt as if someone had dropped a heavy bolder of guilt onto her shoulders.

"He's been acting strange?"

"Yes, he seemed really upset about something…are you two alright?"

His question made her heart hurt. But she swallowed the impulse to burst into a full confession.

"Well, we… got into a little fight the other day, but it's nothing serious…"

She finished lamely, not knowing what else she could say.

Solomon seemed to be studying her expression.

"Oh Alright, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Um, do you by chance know where he might have gone?"

Solomon scratched his head; supposedly trying to rake his mind for a plausible answer.

Unfortunately, he seemed to come up short.

"I'm, sorry Tea, I haven't the slightest clue. The only place that comes to mind is the new dueling station just a few blocks from here, but, it's Sunday so I doubt very much that…"

His words seemed to stop at 'I haven't the slightest clue', everything else simply merged into muffled blur of empty words.

She let the cold air engulf her. It felt as if her life had suddenly become a kingdom of ice and she, the queen of a frozen world.

_Where could he have gone? It was snowing and the dueling station was closed_.

She half halfheartedly listened to Solomon's empty ramblings until she felt the air around her becoming heavy with a feeling she couldn't identify.

"…Thanks Mr Mutou, But I think I'll just come by later….."

She didn't mean to cut into his response, but somehow she was starting to feel more upset than she was before.

She flashed a fabricated smile as she waved politely at the old man standing before her with a smile on his face. She turned in the direction of her uncle's house again, feeling her shoulders slump with worry and reluctance.

"Thanks again"

She managed a small helping of courtesy before heading out onto the snowy road once more.

* * *

When she had walked about half of the distance, she pulled out her cell phone from her pocket.

She ran her thumb over the frosted display screen. She hesitated for a few seconds before making her decision to call.

She dialed the number and put the phone to her ear.

All she heard was the empty ring of a call she knew would not be answered.

She swallowed hard as she canceled the call.

_He wasn't answering._

Her body felt heavy. As if the wind was somehow pushing her backward.

_Why did this happen? She wanted him, she needed him by her side._

_But he didn't know. He didn't know about the decision she had made. He needed to understand, she had to talk to him._

She forced herself to continue heading for her uncle's house, the place she would never truly call 'home'.

* * *

When she turned the knob to the front door, for some unexplained reason, she felt a sort of tension in the air. She didn't know why so she ignored it.

There was no one in the living room and she was grateful.

The house seemed a bit quiet, much like they say in the movies - 'a little too quiet'.

She walked further into the house, routinely pulling her gloves off in the process.

She visually scanned her surroundings, hoping not to see her uncle's face.

Luckily he wasn't anywhere in sight so she continued upstairs.

She walked to her room feeling exhausted with worry.

She turned the door knob and slowly opened the door.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the last person she was expecting to see, standing at her window, looking out.

It was Yami.

At first she couldn't seem to find her voice.

He turned to look at her. She noticed right away that his eyes were different. They weren't the same pools of comfort she had come to know and adore so much. They were…cold…and desolate.

"I'm sorry, I came by, your uncle told me that you would be back soon and he told me I could wait for you here."

Tea listened intently. Despite the guilt and worry weighing on her heart she was glad to see him.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her words failed her.

She tried again, as he remained silent.

"…I…I went to the shop to see you, Mr Mutou told me you weren't there…so I came back."

She let her statement hang, not knowing the right words to say after that.

She waited for him to say something, shutting the door behind her.

"Tea we need to talk about this."

"I know we do."

She kept her back to the door, not wanting to move an inch. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked at the man she loved so much.

"I've been thinking about certain things…."

Tea listened intently, not wanting to miss a word.

"..and I've realized that, we…can't continue seeing each other."

His words were like instant poison shot directly into her veins. She wasn't expecting such a blatant response from him.

She intervened immediately.

"But Yami, I told you none of this was my decision!...how can you say something like that?"

Her voice quivered and she hated the sound of it. But it couldn't be helped now. She was upset and she wasn't trying to hide it anymore.

He looked at her and she could see that he was struggling within himself over his decision- but his eyes…his eyes were still empty, as if something had died within them.

It hurt her to see such a thing.

He sighed as he blew out a breath of frustration.

"I haven't told you anything about this before Tea but…ever since your parents died, you've…you've become a different person."

_What? Why was he talking about her parents at a time like this?_

Tea felt the memory of the horrible car crash flash across her mind and her heart. The pain of that day seemed to be gushing back.

Yami was the bandage she had used to seal it away, and now…

The thought scared her too much to finish it.

She spoke through the discomfort

"What do you mean?"

She watched as he sat heavily on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, looking reluctant to say anymore.

After a few short moments however he found the strength to look back at her.

"I…I didn't want to say anything before, I knew you wouldn't understand…but now…"

He let the statement die, as if the unsaid couldn't be put into words.

Tea felt the first swell of a tear welling up in her eyes.

"What are you talking about? I thought all of this was about Julliard, why are you making this bigger than it is?"

Her voice was still quivering and even more so by then.

Yami continued as if she hadn't said anything at all.

"I've been patient all this time, waiting for you to come back to me, the real you…and what do I get at the end of it all?...a push to the sidelines…just to make room for your precious little dream…"

Tea remained silent, trying to grasp the words coming out of his mouth.

_What in the world was going on?_

_Was all of this true?_

_How long had he been feeling like this?_

_And…_

_Why?_

_Why didn't he tell her?_

_How could he keep all these feelings bottled up for all this time without saying anything?_

Her heart was full to bursting with the confusion building up inside it.

She felt more tears welling up in her eyes. She was determined however to keep them from falling for as long as she could.

She couldn't understand or believe what she was hearing.

"How can you say these things to me? After everything we've been through…I never once pushed you aside Yami…"

"You haven't?..."

His voice reflected the cold in his eyes.

"…That's not the way it felt to me."

Tea continued looking at him, her eyes quivering with hurt.

Despite herself, she allowed him to continue.

"You thought it would be okay for you to burden me with all of your problems and then run off to dance academy like it was nothing?..."

Tea pressed her back against the door, letting her bag drop to the floor as she listened intently to his relentless assault.

"It's not ok anymore, It's not ok for you to be so god damn weak all the time!"

Her breath caught in her throat at the word.

'_Weak.'_

_Is that all he saw when he looked at her?_

_Is that what she had become?_

She held her hand to her chest as she broke eye contact with him, looking at the floor, but seeing only the mist of her tears filling her eyes.

Yami watched her in silence, seeing the first tear drop fall out of her eyes.

He rose from the bed and walked toward her. She looked up at him, trying to stop herself from crying but found that it was a futile effort.

To her surprise he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

She didn't hug him back, not knowing if it was the right thing to do.

He spoke to her softly.

"Tea, I'm sorry and I love you…but…I think it's time for us to go our separate ways."

She managed to find her voice again.

'How could you Yami?..."

She pulled away from him, finding the strength to stop her sobbing if only for a moment.

"They were my parents…I loved them so much, they were all I had….how could you be so cold hearted?"

Tea looked at him deliberately wondering what he was thinking.

His words had cut a deep hole in her heart; one that she knew would never completely heal.

She looked away feeling helpless.

"This was never about Julliard was it? You were just using it as an excuse…."

She looked back at him, allowing her tears to roll down her checks.

"…an excuse to get away from me."

Yami couldn't seem to hold her gaze. He looked away, as if averting the responsibility of a plausible response.

They stayed in heavy silence for a few seconds longer until Yami's voice pierced it's way through.

"I…I'm leaving tomorrow."

Tea stared back at him, perplexity replacing some of the pain in her eyes.

"…Leaving?"

"Yes, I…decided to take the position at the dueling station."

Tea forced herself to hold back her tears for the moment.

"..But, there's a branch in Domino?"

"I signed up for the main office in Tokyo."

His words were sharp, and void of emotion, although she could see the discomfort in his eyes as plain as the morning sky.

_No…_

_This couldn't be happening?_

_She couldn't let him leave…._

_She had to tell him…._

_Maybe there was still a chance…_

His words interrupted her thoughts.

"Tea, it's better this way…this way both of us can start over ….."

Tea felt a rush of panic flow through her body. The pain in her heart was overwhelming.

She had to tell him, she had to tell him now.

She closed her eyes as she slowly pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket.

"..But Yami…I already…."

She held the folded letter tightly between her both hands.

"…I already declined my acceptance…"

Her fingers trembled as she forced herself to continue.

"…I quit dancing for good and…I'm not going to New York….that's why I went to see you….to tell you that I choose you over everything else."

Her voice was still quivering under the pain but at that moment all she could think of was the man standing before her.

She waited for him to respond. She waited for him to take back what he had said…for him to say that he was wrong and that everything would be ok again.

She waited for him to take her in his arms and make the pain go away just like he always did.

She waited…but all she could hear was the silence of a man who had now become a stranger all in matter of seconds.

Yami looked back at her, something different in his eyes, but the difference wasn't enough to diminish the cold that had come to find a home there.

"…I…I'm sorry Tea…"

He reached out to touch her face, wiping a tear away from her eyes in the process.

"…But I've already made up my mind."

Tea felt as if someone had suddenly reached into her chest, to squeeze the life out of her heart.

She couldn't seem to find a single word to say.

She stayed silent as he walked past her and opened the door.

She didn't even bother to turn around.

He stopped as he looked back at her from the doorway, a sadness reflected in his eyes that she didn't see.

"Good bye Tea, I hope you find the happiness you deserve."

She felt his words pierce through her as she let the rejected acceptance letter slip through her fingers and fall lifelessly to the floor.

And with a gentle shut of the door, he was gone...

* * *

Present Day

Coral Reef Hot spring Resort

Kaiba and Tea's Room

10:45pm

"And just like that…he…well I guess you can fill in the rest."

Her words resonated with him; His memory soaking up every last detail.

He studied her expression as he felt his heart reaching out to her. _He had no idea that she had been through so much since the last time he saw her._

She had finally opened up to him. She had told him everything; the car crash that claimed the lives of her both parents, her uncle's abuse and finally her break up with Yami.

He felt as if she had suddenly placed a huge weight on his shoulders. The burden of her past was a heavy one to carry indeed…one much heavier than her heart should have to bear.

Yet as heavy a burden as it was, it was one that he knew he could carry with ease. _He understood now, Yami had abandoned her…_

He watched as she hugged the throw pillow, looking a bit reluctant to look at him.

She bit her lip before responding.

"I'm sorry.."

Kaiba looked back at her, and although she wasn't looking back at him, he could sense the hurt in her voice.

"Sorry? Why?"

"For boring you like that…"

She looked at him finally, a small smile on her face.

Kaiba responded, trying to mask his feelings the best that he could.

"You didn't. I'm glad you told me.'

Tea looked back at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.

She studied his eyes, but none of the emotions she had been expecting were there at all.

There was no resentment, no pity.

She looked away again, feeling as if her heart was just now starting to feel the after effects of jumping head first into her past.

"I know how I must look to you …'

Kaiba listened to her intently, a bit surprised by her words.

"What do you mean?"

"You must think I'm so pathetic…"

He could practically feel the emotion emanating from her body. _They were real…how could she think so little of herself? _

He allowed her to continue, feeling the locks he had placed over himself slowly fading away.

"…I don't blame him you know…He was right, I _am_ weak….and I was wrong to ever think I could find comfort in him."

A single tear rolled down her face and fell onto the pillow.

She closed her eyes as if closing them would somehow take everything away.

Kaiba felt as if he was suddenly losing himself in her pain. He felt so close to her now that he had to keep reminding himself that she wasn't his….that she didn't belong to him…

But his mind was already made up…

… He was still determined to be the comfort that she needed… so, if just for tonight, he would pretend that she was.

He brought his hand to her face, parting her hair away from her eyes, causing her to open them.

He saw weariness reflected there, and he wished he could say more.

"No, I don't ever want to hear you say that again…"

His voice was so laced with empathy that for a moment she had forgotten what they actually were.

He could see her struggling not to cry anymore, but he knew that it would be too much for her considering the kind of strength she must have gathered to open up to him.

"Tea, I know what we are to each other, and I know I'm in no position to be saying these things to you…but, I need you to understand that I…"

He hesitated for a brief moment, stopping himself from revealing all that was in his heart.

"…I care about your feelings…"

Tea felt her breath catch in her throat upon hearing his words.

She looked back at him, only now noticing how sincere his expression was.

She allowed him to continue.

"You need to let go, you don't deserve this kind of pain."

Tea felt herself getting lost in his eyes. For some reason, they were deeper than they were before.

_How could Kaiba be having such an effect on her with just a few words?_

_How is it that he seemed to know exactly what to say to make her world seem so much better?_

She couldn't respond. She was too afraid of what might come out.

She closed her eyes again as she sobbed into the pillow.

Kaiba stopped stroking her hair, allowing her to cry.

She had finally opened up to him, and now, all he wanted was more.

This was only going to get more difficult with time, but he knew as he looked at her that he was willing to do whatever it took to protect her from all this.

The dim lights around the room, accentuated her beautiful features and all he wanted was to take her into his arms, but he knew he would only complicate the situation further.

For now he would let her wash away the memories with her tears.

He stayed seated on the floor by her side for a few more minutes, his back against the couch, his mind deep in thought.

All this time he wanted to find out, he wanted to find out maybe to convince himself that his feelings were probably based on nothing but mere curiosity.

But now that he finally understood…

There was no denying it anymore…

He wanted her…

Not only to protect her but…

He stopped his thoughts, sighing softly as he looked up at the ceiling.

How was he going to deal with something like this? There wasn't a single girl in his past that ever came close to making him feel this way.

This was going to get more complicated, he was sure of that now.

But there was one question that was starting to eat away at him again.

_Just how did she feel about him?_

_Did she feel the same way?_

_Or was she still too much in love with Yami to even look in his direction?_

He blew out a breath as he tried to come to grips with himself.

As time passed he noticed that her sobbing had gradually stopped.

He turned to look at her again.

It seemed as if she had cried herself to sleep.

He quietly stood up from his seated position, turning to face her.

He knew he couldn't leave her there and he didn't want to wake her either. He decided that he had no other choice.

Without any hesitation he slipped his hands under her body and gently lifted her into his arms, bridal style.

He felt her stir only for a short moment as he did.

Tea felt herself slipping in and out of sleep as she felt Kaiba's strong arms lifting her from the couch. She was vaguely aware of her surroundings but she was too miserable, and not to mention intoxicated, to care.

She allowed him to carry her to the bedroom, feeling herself slipping into sleep once more.

As she did she couldn't help thinking… how good he smelled….

….and how strong his arms felt under her body….

….and how perfect it felt being held this way…

…and how glad she was to be with him and not anyone else…

Her thoughts lulled her to sleep finally, content with the fact that the man holding her was now the only person running through her weary mind.

Kaiba made his way across the living room toward the bedroom door.

He opened it quietly and stepped inside.

The lighting was even dimmer than the living room outside and the scent of the room was painfully romantic.

He ignored the inappropriate atmosphere as he gently lowered her onto the bed being as careful as he could not to wake her.

She stirred again but she didn't open her eyes.

He knew he couldn't be with her now despite the fact that he wanted to be.

He pulled the covers over her, making sure she was as warm as possible.

She had been through a lot and he admired her strength to keep going.

_How could anyone simply walk out on her like that?_

His anger toward Yami however would have to wait for now.

He knew that she didn't realize it yet, but she wasn't alone anymore, he would be there for her now, of that he was certain.

When he was satisfied that she was sleeping soundly he reluctantly left the bedroom, keeping the door slightly ajar.

He sighed a sigh of frustration as he headed toward the couch, knowing that sleep would definitely be the last thing on his mind for the remainder of their night together.


	17. Blue Mirrors

Chapter Seventeen:

Blue Mirrors

* * *

Friday Morning 6:30am

Kaiba & Tea's Room

* * *

Tea woke to the distant yet soothing sound of the ocean crashing gently across the shoreline. For some reason her body felt extremely rested, as if a weight had somehow been lifted off her shoulders.

Despite the slight sensation of a throbbing headache, she had to admit that it was a nice feeling.

For a second she seemed to have forgotten where she was.

Sitting up in bed she visually scanned her surroundings through blurry eyes.

In a matter of seconds everything suddenly rushed back into her memory like a heavy gush of water.

_She was still at the Hot Spring Resort!_

She gasped

_Then that means…_

She instinctively looked at the other side of the bed.

To her relief but surprise she saw that there was no one there.

_Where was Kaiba? Did they actually sleep in the same bed together?_

She suddenly remembered what had happened.

_That's right, she had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room. _

_And…_

_Kaiba had…. taken her to the bedroom._

For some reason she found that her memory of the later was a lot more washed away than the others.

_Did he actually carry her like that? Or was she dreaming?_

She thought about it for a second

_But, it couldn't have been a dream…how else could she have gotten into the bedroom? _

Her face burned with color as the thought of Kaiba holding her in his arms overwhelmed her senses.

She forced herself to snap out of her stupor.

She pulled the covers off of herself, realizing that she was still clad in a T-shirt and shorts.

Rubbing her eyes she sat at the edge of the bed; yawning as she inspected the room once again.

Judging by the state of the bed sheets, it appeared that she slept alone.

She looked in the direction of the door and noticed that it was slightly ajar.

Curiously she climbed out of bed and proceeded to walk toward it.

Nervously, she pushed it open.

To her relief Kaiba wasn't anywhere within sight. She sucked in a breath as she continued her investigation.

She cautiously walked bare-footed through the living room, nervously fiddling with her slightly disheveled hair.

After a few seconds she finally spotted what she was looking for.

Kaiba was lying on one of the couches, apparently fast asleep.

She stopped as she saw him.

He looked slightly uncomfortable but he didn't stir.

His hair fell over his eyes and he couldn't have looked more attractive.

Tea suddenly felt a double helping of gratitude and guilt filling her stomach simultaneously.

_He had chosen to sleep out here, instead of the bedroom for her sake._

She felt her heart warming.

What happened between them last night was something she could have never predicted.

She had opened up to him and let him into her past.

Now he knew everything and there was no more running away.

She had to start coming to terms with the fact that she might be…. falling for him. As for the way _he_ felt about her, she could only guess by his actions that he was somehow starting to feel the same way.

_But could that really be true? Could she allow herself to think along those lines? Or would she only end up hurting herself again?_

Questions littered her mind like torn pages.

She clenched her fist over her chest as she reluctantly walked over to where Kaiba was lying.

Her heart quickened as she approached him.

She could tell that he was sound asleep by the peaceful expression on his face.

If only she could tell him how grateful she was for everything he had done for her. Her eyes trembled, knowing that she would never find the courage in her heart to express her feelings to him face to face.

She felt like a coward and she hated it, but it was all she could do to protect herself.

She couldn't let him see how much he was starting to affect her…..

This was all she could do for now.

Putting a halt on all of her thoughts she slowly lowered her lips to his check and kissed him gently.

Her heart was pounding so heavily, she felt certain it would wake him.

She cautiously pulled herself away, grateful that he hadn't stirred.

She kept her eyes on him, admiring the peaceful expression on his face.

She refused to lie to herself any further, but she knew allowing someone to come into her heart once again would only prove to be selfish.

She was too wounded to give all of herself to anyone and she cared too much to cause him any pain.

So for now, she would pretend she didn't feel this way…for his sake…and for hers.

* * *

Kaiba slowly opened his eyes. The sound of the television whirring in his ear.

'_Weather forecast next after these messages…'_

The morning news was on and the sudden announcement of the weather report jolted him out of his drowsiness.

He sat up in the couch, looking at the TV.

_Where was Tea? _

The fact that she was the first thing on his mind didn't surprise him; after all, he stayed up practically all night thinking about her.

He adjusted his vision as best as he could as he tried to recover from a not so good night sleep.

Just then, without warning a cheerful brunette popped out in front of him.

She appeared to have been up a long time and was as cute and energetic as ever.

"Hey, you're finally up, good morning!"

Kaiba found himself staring at her; for some reason, her being the first person he saw after an uncomfortable night sleep was like a breath of fresh air.

She was like a sight for soar eyes.

When he realized what he was doing, he immediately forced himself to transform into the Seto Kaiba everyone had come to know and loathe.

"Humph, what's so good about it?"

Tea smiled, expecting nothing else.

"Guess you're not a morning person either."

Kaiba pulled his eyes off of her, running a hand through his messy hair.

"What time is it?"

"It's 8:30."

He groaned as he stood up from the couch, meaning to head straight to the bathroom.

As he passed by her, Tea felt the words desperately trying to escape her lips, but for some reason she couldn't seem to find the courage to let them out. Her heart pounded in her chest as he walked passed…

She watched in silence as he disappeared into the bedroom.

_Why was it suddenly so hard to tell him how she felt? She was grateful for what he did last night; she wanted to thank him. So why did it suddenly feel like she had lost the ability to speak?_

She sighed as she plopped herself onto the couch, pouting as she watched the commercials run by.

A knock on the door alerted Tea of the breakfast she had ordered before Kaiba had woken up earlier that morning.

She walked casually to the door and yanked it open for the attendant to once again push a cart of food into the living room.

He smiled warmly at her as he arranged the dishes.

"I trust you and Mr Kaiba enjoyed your stay last night miss?"

Tea couldn't help herself blushing, her imagination suddenly shifting into another world entirely.

"Um, yes, we enjoyed it very much."

"I'm glad to hear that miss."

When he was finished he stopped, looking as if he were expecting something.

Tea looked at him confused for a few seconds until she realized that she hadn't given him his tip.

Her face burned with heat as she apologized.

"Oh, sorry."

She reached for the small folds of money stuffed carelessly under the phone. Luckily, that morning, she had managed to rustle up some of her own cash in order to come up with a suitable tip fee. Being unaccustomed to the lap of luxury, she hoped to herself that her sum was neither too big nor too small.

She watched the attendant's expression closely as she handed him the money. Evidently his smile revealed that he was indeed pleased.

She smiled back as he thanked her politely.

Seconds later he was out the door and she was pushing the breakfast cart over to the couch.

* * *

Kaiba's mind hadn't been able to stop thinking about Tea. He irritably buttoned his shirt, trying in vain to get a grip on reality.

_Was this what it felt like to be falling for someone?_

The feeling was new to him, having never had such an experience before.

He sighed as he packed the rest of his stuff away. The date caught his attention on the small calendar stuck to the wall beside him as he did.

Friday….Today would make it exactly five days since they've been on the island. Somehow it seemed much longer than that. So much had happened between them….he felt so close to her now.

She had told him the truth, she had trusted him enough to let him into her past….but…what should he do next?

Should he tell her how he felt about her? Now that he understood her pain a little bit better, he felt as if his duty to protect her was now officially cast in stone.

He needed her to understand him, to understand that he was willing to take her under his wing.

He couldn't lock this away any longer. He had to let her know….but only when the moment was right.

* * *

Tea forced the unwelcomed butterflies away as Kaiba emerged from the bedroom. His eyes fell onto the breakfast tray at once, a hopeless look spreading across his face.

"I don't remember giving you my permission to order breakfast."

"So I need your permission now?"

"You're here courtesy Kaiba hospitality remember."

"Hm, how could I forget."

Kaiba walked over to the couch and took a seat next to her once again. Annoyingly enough he couldn't help himself noticing how good she smelled.

Tea bit her lip nervously as she felt her body tense. His presence made her uneasy now and she hated herself for falling into such a pathetic state.

She waited quietly for him to start the meal.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be a little too quick for her.

He looked at her as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"Something wrong?"

His question caught her of guard. She willed herself not to turn red in the face under his ocean blue stare.

"Um, no, nothing…I just…"

She hesitated but he waited patiently

She willed herself to continue.

"…I just wanted to thank you…for…listening to me last night."

She was looking at the floor as she spoke, not being able to hold such an intimidating yet beautiful gaze.

Kaiba noticed right away just how tense she was, and knew all too well how hard it must've been for her to say those things to him.

He tried his best to buffer the moment, despite the voice inside his head egging him on to just let everything out. He decided that now wasn't the time or the place.

"You don't have to keep thanking me…"

Tea reluctantly looked back at him. To her relief he wasn't looking back; he was spreading jam over his croissants.

"Look, despite my reputation, I'm not doing this for gratitude or anything else ok; So you don't have keep reading so much into it. I wanted to help you so I did, nothing complicated."

He ignored the insessant accusations of his inner self calling him a liar as he casually continued preparing his breakfast.

Tea stared at him, glad that his tone was much softer than it usually was.

She smiled.

"Ok, but…even so, I just needed to say it….your…help… means a lot."

Kaiba was glad to hear her say that to him, despite his show of being indifferent. At the same time, she was making it twice as hard for him to keep his mouth shut.

He willed himself to remain true to his resolve.

"Glad I could help."

He deliberately avoided her stare, pretending to concentrate on the breakfast in front of him.

Tea couldn't help herself blushing as she reached for the bottle of jam.

"…Besides, he had no place abandoning you like that."

His words caught her off guard again.

She paused as she let his words sink in.

She forced herself to think of a suitable response.

"…Well I guess he had his reasons."

Kaiba could hear the hurt in her voice as she spoke. Despite the urge in his body to comfort her, he willed himself to act natural.

He decided that maybe it was best he didn't say anything further.

As they ate in silence, the morning weather forecast resumed.

Despite the fact that her stomach was full to bursting with a million butterflies, Tea managed to cast her attention over to the weather report.

Apparently they were in for a rain storm.

_Great, just what they needed._

Kaiba scoffed.

"At least with the rain, I might actually get some work done around here."

Tea smiled to herself.

"Not if me and Mokuba have anything to do with it."

She took a bite of her sandwich as if she hadn't said anything.

Kaiba looked at her, clearly amused.

"Is that so?"

Tea nodded.

"Yep, you're not supposed to be working when you're on vacation."

Kaiba decided not to taunt her; he was rather enjoying her company.

He continued with his meal.

"Hmph, whatever."

They both watched the rest of the morning news together, eating in each other's company once again.

A few months ago, a situation like this one would've been hard to even imagine; Yet now, it was like something they had a done a million times before.

About twenty minutes after they had finished their breakfast, a knock on the door alerted them that it was time to head back to the hotel.

Having packed their bags earlier that morning, they both gathered their belongings with ease and were out the door within minutes.

* * *

Ocean View Hotel

11:10 am

* * *

Once again all three of them stood warily in front of their respective hotel rooms. Mokuba seemed a lot less energetic since they left the hotsprings that morning. Tea watched in amusement as he yawned loudly.

"That's the last time I stay up till 4:00 watching bad television."

Kaiba shot a stern glance at his brother as he slid the key card into the lock.

"Well, that's what you get for not listening to me!"

Mokuba rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, big brother."

Tea stayed silent, listening to both brothers bicker back and forth. She stared at Kaiba, who was too busy telling his little brother off, to notice her noticing him. She asked herself the same question again, _Could she really be falling for Seto Kaiba?_ The thought made her insides turn to jelly. He was like a celestial being among men. The thought was so absurd….yet so undeniably…appealing. She silently scolded herself for letting her mind run away with her. She waited patiently at Mokuba's side as Kaiba finally barged into his room, rudely leaving them both out in the hallway the same way he usually did.

Mokuba turned to Tea who seemed a bit pink in the face.

"Are you ok Tea?"

His voice knocked her back into reality.

"Huh, oh, yeah, I'm fine.."

Somehow she knew the tone of her voice wasn't convincing enough.

"Ok, so how was your night with Seto? Since you're standing here in one piece I take it he didn't tear you to shreds."

Tea laughed

"I guess you're right…"

She walked over to her door as she continued speaking.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"See, I told you my brother was a nice guy under all that hostility."

Tea smiled to herself as she swiped her key card through the lock.

"Yea, I guess he is."  
Mokuba smiled, seemingly pleased about something.

"Well, I guess today we can just relax on our own time, we'll pick up with our sightseeing tomorrow."

"Ok, good idea, that'll give your brother some time to cool off before our next dose of torment."

She winked mischievously at him.

Mokuba beamed back, glad that he still had a partner in crime.

They said their temporary goodbyes as they parted ways into their respective rooms.

* * *

Tea let herself fall onto the bed. Feeling somewhat exhausted from the bumpy ride back to the hotel. She lay on her back, staring up at the elegant ceiling above her. Her life floated across her mind in a sequence of memories and emotions.

At this point, looking at her life, she couldn't quite put a label on it. Everything seemed so different from before. Even the fact that she was staring up at a ceiling like this one seemed too unreal to grasp. It was all a blur of confusion. She couldn't seem to find the right feeling to describe how she felt about her life at that moment.

Sighing, she rolled onto her tummy, resting her head on one of the comfortable pillows.

_.…and then there was the issue of..…Kaiba._

The thought of him made her heart skip a beat.

They had gotten so close over the past few days. He had put everything aside and had made it his business to help her. She would've never thought that he was capable of such a thing.

And now because of that, she was starting to see a side of him she never noticed before; a side that she could very well come to admire.

She pouted to herself, knowing exactly what was going to happen. She wouldn't be able to be herself around him anymore because of the conflict of emotions crashing around in her mind.

Her memory shifted to earlier that morning when she had kissed him on the cheek. Like clockwork her face burned with girlish heat.

_What the hell was she thinking? What if he had woken up? _

She decided that she was probably still half asleep or something, otherwise she would have never done something like that…..or would she?

She sighed again. This time louder and out of shear frustration.

_Why did something like this have to happen? Lord knows she had enough on her mind as is_.

But there was no getting around it, no matter how much she wanted to stick her head into the dirt and pretend the danger wasn't there. She had to admit this to herself; she was starting to have feelings for Seto Kaiba.

As absurd as it sounded inside her head, the truth of the matter still remained.

This was something she would have to find the courage to deal with on her own…and she needed to start now, otherwise there was no doubt in her mind that the situation between them would inevitably escalate to levels beyond both of their control…

* * *

Kaiba stared at the laptop screen in front of him. Once again he was having an extremely difficult time concentrating on the words laid out in front of him in black and white.

Despite all of his efforts his mind refused to focus on anything other than Tea Gardner.

He blew out a long breath as he tried to come to terms with his situation.

_Fine, if his mind refused to cooperate with him then there was only one thing left to do; _

_Give in to his torment. _

He hated _not_ being able to solve his own problems so his frustration levels were starting to boil over.

How could he have allowed himself to fall so hard for her? This wasn't like him at all.

If he left things as they were right now he would definitely drive himself completely insane.

He needed some time alone with her, that was certain…but the question still remained…what the hell would he tell her when the opportunity presented itself?

He let out a long sigh as he stood up from the chair. He walked out to the balcony, surprised by how soothing the wind felt against his face.

He stared out at the beach, watching the waves crashing against the shore.

Who would've thought that meeting her that day in the city would eventually lead to a situation like this one.

He didn't exactly know what would become of all of this but he was certain they would find out by the end of their vacation.

* * *

The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly; All three of them had decided to stay in their rooms for the remainder of the afternoon, each to their own past times.

As late evening approached however, Mokuba decided once more that it was time to pull his brother out into the world of the living again.

* * *

Oceanview Hotel

5:35pm

* * *

Mokuba nervously knocked on his older brother's door.

After a few minutes, a disgruntled looking Seto Kaiba yanked it open, looking down at him with a glare that would've frozen anyone else on spot.

"What is it Mokuba?"

"Well, I thought that we could go get some fresh air on the beach tonight."

Kaiba stared at him as if he had just spoken in Korean.

"Mokuba, how many times do I have to tell you that I hate the beach!"

"But Seto…"

"Why don't you ask Gardner?"

"She said she was feeling a bit tired so she'll be down a bit later..."

Mokuba waited for a response but unfortunately all he could get from his brother was a cold, angry glare.

He tried again.

"Come on big brother, pl-eeease!"

Kaiba felt his resolve reluctantly caving in on itself at the sight of Mokuba's puppy dog tactic.

_You'd think he'd be immune to such things after all the times it's been used against him; unfortunately, as of yet, no such luck._

He sighed in an irritable defeat.

"Fine!"

Mokuba smiled triumphantly.

* * *

Oceanview Beach Front

6:00pm

* * *

Kaiba took a sip of his Caribbean breeze Cocktail as he stared out into the vast ocean.

The sun was already starting to set and the sight was magnificent enough for even him to notice.

Mokuba was sitting next to him on one of the bar stools busily gulping down a large glass of his favorite orange juice.

Despite all of his objections however, Kaiba was nevertheless glad he could spend some time with his baby brother before it was time to leave the island.

With all of his workload and him having to run Kaiba Corp on his own, they rarely had time to talk to each other anymore. So he was grateful for the opportunity.

"Hey Seto"

He turned to an impish looking Mokuba.

"Check it out, those girls over there can't take their eyes off you."

Kaiba instinctively looked in the direction of the girls, amused by Mokuba's adolescent nature finally catching up with him.

Sure enough, there were about four girls giggling and looking straight at them. Their excitement seemed to heighten as his blue eyes met their gaze.

Kaiba simply turned his attention back to his brother as if he had seen something as insignificant as wind blowing through a cluster of trees.

Mokuba couldn't help his amusement.

"Jeez Seto, you could've at least given them some acknowledgement."

Kaiba scoffed as he took another sip of his drink.

"Why would I do that? They'd only take it as an invitation to come over here!"

"And we wouldn't want you biting their heads clear of their shoulders now would we. Bad for the Kaiba Corp image I guess."

Kaiba couldn't help himself smiling at Mokuba's smart mouth. Couldn't really blame him, when it came to mouthing off, he was no one to talk.

He watched in amusement as his brother drank the last of his orange juice.

"But seriously big brother, why don't you ever go out on dates? Girls practically fall to your feet everywhere you go."

For some reason the subject made Kaiba uneasy, especially since his younger brother was the one doing the interrogation.

Under normal circumstances he would have simply thrown the topic aside and erase it from their minds completely with one of his smart ass comments; yet at that moment, he couldn't seem to find the motivation to.

Could it be that his situation with Tea was weighing on his sub conscious to the point where he felt the need to let it out?

He took another sip of his cocktail, this time deliberately, trying to buy himself time to think of an appropriate response.

Mokuba waited patiently.

Finally he opened his mouth to speak.

"You really think I'll let myself get caught up in something as meaningless as dating? Girls equals time, equals money, equals more trauma than I'm willing to put up with!"

Mokuba sighed hopelessly.

"Leave it to you big brother to make going out with pretty girls sound as dull as a day at the cemetery."

Without responding Kaiba turned to the ocean again, his mind slipping.

_There was one girl however, that he seemed to be willing to make an exception for…._

* * *

The evening drifted by slowly and much more peaceful than Kaiba anticipated; most of the guests were already starting to head back to the hotel and only a handful still remained lounging on the sand or gathered around tables.

It was already dark and the small bar hut lit up like a Christmas tree, with all sorts of colorful string lights hanging carelessly from the shutters. It was astonishing how easily and how well they captured the theme of the perfect Island getaway.

Mokuba stood up from his stool and peered out along the shoreline.

"Ok Seto, time for a stroll."

Kaiba looked at his brother with a bored expression on his face.

"Stroll? You mean along the beach?"

"Yea, look…

He pointed in the direction of the shore.

"…they have string lights running along the coast."

Kaiba scoffed.

"Yeah so?"

He said simply.

"Aw come on big brother, you can't expect us to stay at the bar the entire time."

"Why not? So far I've managed to avoid any contact with people looking to have me sign autographs or take pictures with them. Here is just fine or it's back up to the hotel, your call!"

"But…"

Mokuba stopped in mid sentence as he noticed a familiar brunette walking over to them from the across the entrance of the beach.

His face lit up instantly.

"Hey, Seto, look Tea's finally here."

"Great, that's all I need."

Kaiba hoped his ill-tempered facade would be enough to hide what he was really thinking.

He casually looked in Tea's direction and swallowed a lump that seemed to be at the back of his throat.

_Was she doing this on purpose? Why did she have to be so god damn cute all the time?_

* * *

Tea felt the piercing gaze of everyone around her. She kept her head bent a bit so as to avoid eye contact with anyone.

Since her wardrobe was limited she had decided to go completely casual. She decided on a simple white cotton shirt which she tied at the stomach in a knot and a short baby blue denim skirt. She couldn't decide what she should do with her hair so she left it open.

She approached the bar trying her best to stop her pulse from racing at the sight of Kaiba.

Mokuba greeted her with pleasure.

"Hey Tea, did you get enough rest?"

"Yea, more or less."

Kaiba watched both of them converse with ease and only then realized that he was staring at her.

When he realized what he was doing he deliberately looked away. In the process his eyes fell onto the group of girls that were 'oogling' him earlier that afternoon. He hadn't even noticed that they were still sitting there.

He noticed that they were glaring at Tea with a special kind of loathing that only girls could understand.

He took another sip of his drink as his brother continued conversing with Tea.

"…Well me and Seto were just going to take a walk along the beach."

"Oh, that sounds great."

Kaiba looked at her as she spoke.

Her smile was beautiful and it made him uneasy as to how much she was starting to affect him.

He intervened immediately despite his distractions.

"And when exactly did I agree to this?."

Both Tea and Mokuba looked at Kaiba at the same time.

Tea felt a swarm of butterflies in her stomach slowly rising to the occasion.

She urged herself to keep them intact.

She watched as the two brothers gut it out in a war of wit and words once again.

Her eyes stayed glued to Kaiba.

_Why did this happen? How could she have allowed herself to feel this way? _

She felt the first traces of worry building in her chest.

After a few minutes of bantering the two brothers finally ended their scuffle.

This time however, Mokuba wasn't the one to leave the field victorious.

"But Seto…."

"I've already made up my mind Mokuba, and that's final!"

Mokuba pouted in defeat.

"Fine, then me and Tea will go without you!"

With that said he grabbed Tea by the arm and started marching off onto the beach.

Kaiba watched in amusement as the both of them hurried off.

He blew out a breath of frustration as he turned to the bar. Good, he was alone…he needed some time to think.

In the process he ordered another drink.

_How was he going to tell Tea how he felt? And exactly when would be considered an appropriate time to?_

As he pondered various possibilities in his head he noticed that the group of fan girls were leaving their table. He glanced at them as he took another sip of his drink.

He noticed that they were heading onto the beach in the same direction as Mokuba and Tea.

Hmmm…Coincidence…maybe….but highly unlikely…

* * *

Tea and Mokuba walked casually along the shoreline. They had both removed their shoes so that they could feel the sea water gliding along the sand under their feet.

Tea allowed herself to be swept away into the moment. The cold salty air was soothing and she loved the feel of it.

Mokuba walked along side her. Despite his little disagreement with Kaiba he seemed just as relaxed as she was.

They walked in silence.

Then the moment was suddenly shattered by an unexpected question.

"Um, Tea….what do you think of my brother?"

Tea stopped instantly, her body going rigid at the question.

Mokuba stopped to look at her.

She looked down at him trying her best to stop her true feelings from surfacing across her face.

She smiled in an attempt to neutralize the moment.

"Where did that come from?"

"Well, I'm just curious, you two have been spending a lot of time together…"

Mokuba smiled back up at her, hoping he wasn't being too forward.

"Well, that is true I guess."

She looked away as she slowly started walking again.

Mokuba followed suit.

She started to speak

"Well, I guess he's not as bad as everyone thinks he is…"

Mokuba listened intently without saying anything, allowing her to continue.

"…Actually, he's…. really nice sometimes."

Mokuba smiled, choosing his words deliberately.

"So does that mean you like him?"

Tea forced herself not to let her emotions surface over her face.

"What? No, why would you even ask that?"

She couldn't help her amusement.

Mokuba decided that it was best if he simply said what was on his mind.

"…I just think someone like you would be good for my brother that's all."

She stopped again, looking directly at him.

"…What?... why on earth would you think that?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, despite the fact that her pulse quickened at the sentiment.

"Well, I think Seto needs someone who can stand up to him. You're the only girl who ever had to guts to do that."

Tea couldn't help the smile pulling at her lips.

"Just because I tend to blurt out what's on my mind from time to time, doesn't mean I'm standing up to him….I just can't keep my mouth shut sometimes…"

She finished lamely, hoping her half ass explanation was adequate enough to get her off the hook.

Unfortunately, Mokuba didn't seem as eager to drop the subject as she was.

He continued.

"Well that's exactly what I mean, I've never met anyone brave enough to say exactly what's on their mind straight to his face the way you do."

Tea couldn't help herself turning red in the face.

"…But, that doesn't mean that I'm….I mean someone like me is good for your brother….I think he probably needs someone who's more on his level you know, I mean he's practically a celebrity."

She glanced over at Mokuba who looked like he was pondering over her words.

She was glad that he responded with a simple nod instead of another lengthy explanation.

The subject was one that she would rather not think about much less have a discussion about.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes until Mokuba suddenly pointed her in the direction of the dock.

They headed there with no hesitation, both being a bit tired of walking.

* * *

They both took a seat at the edge of the wooden walkway. The yellow string lights hanging over them looked like a row of fireflies illuminating the water before them. They watched the small cluster of yatchs and small boats sailing lazily along the water as they breathed in the salty sea air.

Tea loved the feel of the breeze rushing through her hair. She couldn't help smiling.

"Wow Mokuba, you're really lucky. It's so beautiful here, It must be nice being a celebrity huh."

Mokuba smiled back.

"I guess it can have it's advantages…."

"It's gonna be hard going back to my shabby little apartment after all this. You've ruined me forever…"

They both laughed, feeling glad to be in each other's company.

Just then, they heard the sound of foot steps along the dock behind them.

Curious they both turned around.

Mokuba recognized them right away. It was the same group of girls that were 'oogling' his brother earlier that evening.

Tea couldn't help feeling a bit intimidated. They all looked like they were all at one time featured on the cover of ELLE magazine.

Tea noticed that their eyes were glued to hers.

She wasn't sure what she should say to them so she waited for them to speak.

The blond in the middle was the one who spoke first.

"Hi, we're sorry to bother you guys, but my friends and I were just wondering….um aren't you that brunette girl from the Battle City Tournament that Seto Kaiba hosted a few years ago?"

For some reason, Tea felt a lump forming at the back of her throat. Somehow the words coming from her mouth felt like acid burning through her skin. She could practically feel the resentment emanating from their eyes as they glared at her. Their fake smiles did little to hide exactly what they were thinking.

Nevertheless she found the courage to respond.

"Um, Yea …"

She finished lamely, not knowing what else to say.

She stared back at them, hoping that they would suddenly spin on their heels and leave them be. But it seemed that lady luck had flown south for the winter that night.

The blond girl began again.

"You are?"

She giggled a bit before continuing.

"So like…what's your relationship with Seto Kaiba? Are you two going out or something?"

Tea felt alert signals zipping through her brain. These girls were obviously legit members of the Seto Kaiba Fan club and there was no mistaking the fact that they intended to burn her at the stake.

The girl's question lingered in silence for a few minutes. Tea couldn't seem to fabricate a plausible answer….despite the fact that the answer was actually quite a simple one.

No…they weren't going out.

Yet somehow, her voice refused to cooperate.

It was Mokuba who intervened before she could.

"Sorry but I don't think it's any of your business what her relationship is to my brother."

The girls seemed slightly unhinged at the mere fact that Mokuba spoke to them in such a harsh tone of voice.

Unfortunately, jealousy and resentment tended to replace everything else when it came to matters of the Seto Kaiba fan club.

They forced a smile at Mokuba.

The red head at the left intervened this time.

"We're sorry Mokuba, but we were just curious, but we get it now. Seto Kaiba must be in a….charitable mood this year."

Tea felt her words pierce through her….cold and sharp. They all laughed as they threw nasty stares her way. Looking at her like she was nothing more than a speck of dust.

Tea couldn't help looking away. She hated how easy it was for her to give in to hurt. She avoided Mokuba's stare feeling embarrassed.

Just then she noticed that their laughter had suddenly stopped. The cold, familiar voice made her turn her attention in their direction once again.

"Is that so?"

Her heart jumped at the sight of Kaiba standing behind the group of girls at the foot of the dock glaring dangerously at them.

They seemed terrified in his presence.

The blond immediately started to apologize.

"Mr. Kaiba, we didn't…."

Kaiba of course didn't let her finish.

"Since when is my personal life any business of yours?"

The girl froze on spot, looking like a child caught in the act of stealing.

"If you're that interested in my love life, then let me clarify it for you…..She and I are going out, so do you have a problem with that?"

Tea felt her pulse quicken. _What did he just say?_

The expression on the girls faces were nothing short of mortified.

"No, of course not Mr Kaiba….."

"Then if you know what's good for you stay away from my girl and my brother, or I'll make all of you regret the day you came here, understand!"

They nodded in submission and defeat.

Without another word they scampered away along the beach, leaving with their tails between their legs.

Kaiba stared after them looking disgusted. He turned his attention back to Mokuba and Tea.

Tea couldn't seem to hold his gaze as their eyes met.

He sighed as he walked over to them.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to come strolling along the beach with you two! Unwanted attention is something I make my business to avoid!"

Mokuba looked up at his brother beaming.

"Nice work big brother, you sure told them!"

"A hassle I could've done without!"

Tea kept her eyes on the water, not wanting to look at Kaiba. For some reason, the mere fact that he had heard what they had said to her made her feel even worse.

Kaiba noticed her uneasiness and apparently so did Mokuba.

"Um, Seto, I think I'll head back to the bar to get another glass of orange juice…"

He stood up, dusting his trousers off.

Tea felt a wave of desperation sweep over her. Oh _no, why was he leaving her alone with Kaiba?_ Her heart sped up in her chest.

Kaiba knew right away what his brother was trying to do and for once he appreciated the sentiment.

Maybe some alone time with her wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Fine whatever."

Mokuba smiled as he hurried off back toward the bar.

Kaiba looked back at Tea, who was still looking at the water. He breathed heavily as he walked over to where she was sitting. Casually he took a seat next to her at the edge of the dock.

He didn't say anything for a few moments, giving both of them time to gather their thoughts.

Tea felt her body become tense.

_Why was she always so weak? Why couldn't she take control of her emotions? _

Despite her will to find her composure she couldn't help remembering the fact that Kaiba had actually referred to her as his girl. The words were like a loop that kept replaying itself over and over again.

She waited for him to say something.

After a few short moments he finally started talking.

"You shouldn't let what those stupid girls said get to you."

Tea kept looking straight ahead and not at the man sitting next to her. For some reason she felt reluctant to look him in the eyes. She was too afraid of what she might see there.

It was pretty obvious by now that their relationship was changing into something else. And it was only a matter of time before everything eventually spilled out into the open.

_But what exactly was it changing into? _

Tea forced herself not to answer that question and focused her energy on responding.

"…I know I shouldn't but….you know me, I tend to fall apart exceptionally easy sometimes."

Kaiba glimpsed at her for a few seconds then averted his attention to the line of boats.

He snuffed.

"That's fine…Just don't fall apart and fall into the water cuz, then I'll have to jump in and save you…and I don't feel like getting my clothes all wet."

Tea felt the smile spreading over her lips.

_How was it so easy for him to guide her emotions in whatever direction he wanted them to go?_

He was making it hard…not to feel this way about him; extremely hard.

"Very funny."

They fell back into silence as they both watched the night slipping lazily by. It was Tea who spoke this time.

"Why did you tell those girls that…we were an item? You know that's gonna spread like wild fire don't you?"

He sighed.

"Let it, maybe that way people will leave us alone. Curiosity tends to make people do stupid things. Besides, I don't think anyone would actually believe that you're just my secretary and nothing else."

"Why not, they don't know our situation; it's any body's guess."

He deliberately looked at her.

"Would you believe it?"

For some reason his tone was different than before and it made her pulse go into over drive again.

She stared back at him feeling vulnerable.

She forced herself to respond.

"…I..I guess not."

Kaiba stared back at her, studying her expression.

"Funny, neither would I"

Tea knew there was a hidden meaning in his response, but she was too unhinged to think about what it was. His eyes were so beautiful and deep. How could anyone, not fall completely….

She pulled her eyes away immediately. This was all too much for her.

Kaiba knew she was starting to feel uncomfortable but he decided that it was time he let her know what was going on.

He chose his words carefully.

"I… want you to trust me from now on Tea. We're not strangers anymore…and it's no use pretending that we are."

She kept her eyes on the water but she listened to every word coming out of his mouth.

"…I...I want to trust you…I do, but I'm so messed up…"

"I know you are, but who isn't? That's why I want you to know that you can trust me to be there for you. I know you're going through a difficult time in your life right now but you don't have to go through it alone."

He waited for her to respond but she seemed to be having a difficult time accepting what he was saying to her.

He continued, it was time he let her know.

"Tea.."

He reached over to touch her face, gently forcing her to look at him. Their eyes met instantly and the moment was an intense one.

"Let me protect you."

Tea felt her entire body succumbing to his will. She felt tears burning the backs of her eyes, trying to escape but she willed them not to.

"I…"

Before she had a chance to say anything else she suddenly felt a cold drop of water fall to her nose.

Kaiba noticed it as well. They both looked up at the sky and saw the first traces of rain clouds covering the sky. Without warning the drops of rain increased and before they knew what was happening it started to rain.

They both scrambled to get up; Kaiba inwardly cursing the weather for its horrible timing. He stood up first and out stretched his hand for Tea to take. She accepted his help and stood up as well. He held her hand as they both ran out toward the beach; the closest form of shelter being an old straw hut on an isolated part of the beach.

By the time they finally got to their destination, they were already soaked to the bone.

* * *

As they made their way further into the dry refuge Tea noticed that they were still holding hands. Her face immediately burned with heat despite the cold seeping into her body from her rain soaked clothes.

Kaiba led them to the back of the hut where the rain couldn't reach them. The hut was brightly lit with more string lights woven into the rafters above them. They could still see the dock and the line of illuminated boats sailing across the water through the rain.

Kaiba casually let go of Tea's hand, only just then realizing that he was still holding onto it.

Tea gripped her arms feeling the cold sea breeze blowing past her, causing her to shiver.

"Well I guess the weather man was right."

Kaiba scoffed, feeling aggravated.

"Out of all the times to be right!"

Tea smiled at his childish nature.

She peered out at the rain, feeling the tenson of the moment beginning to envelope her senses once again. They were alone.

His words played over in her mind again.

"Let me protect you."

The memory made her heart skip a beat and the heaviness of his presence weighed on her.

Kaiba glanced at her. Her hair was wet and her clothes were sticking to her body.

He forced himself not to stare. He peered out at the rain not saying anything. After a few moments of silence Tea was the one who spoke first.

"Why do you want to protect me?"

He looked down at her, surprised by her directness.

He noticed that she was trembling and avoiding his eyes.

"Is it really that hard to accept?"

"Actually it is, you're…Seto Kaiba….you're not supposed to say those kinds of things, at least not to girls like me."

Kaiba turned to face her, amused by her sentiment.

Tea looked up at him. His brown sandy hair was dripping wet and his skin glowed under the shallow light. He was as gorgeous as ever.

Why was she thinking those things?

She looked away, feeling the pressure of his gaze falling upon her.

"And why would you think that?"

He stepped closer to her, causing her to step back.

She couldn't respond but Kaiba continued nevertheless.

"What's wrong with me saying those things? And more importantly what's wrong with me saying those things to _you_?"

Tea stepped back further, feeling the full blow of his intimidation getting the better of her.

"Why is it wrong for me to care about you?"

Tea felt the cold air flowing through the hut. She was freezing and she was completely infatuated with the man standing before her.

She forced herself to speak through trembling lips.

"Why are you always…. so stubborn about everything?"

Kaiba stepped in closer to her and reached forward to stroke the side of her check, keeping his eyes locked onto hers. She looked back up at him, unable to move.

"I'm Seto Kaiba remember."

Tea managed a small smile despite her trembling. She felt him wrap his other arm around her as he continued to caress her face with his fingers.

Her voice was small and barely over a whisper.

"Then that means you're a jerk."

He smiled back.

"Well this jerk wants to keep you safe."

He stared into her eyes, unable to contain himself any longer.

Without another word he slowly lowered his mouth to hers. Their lips met with blistering passion. Tea couldn't believe what was happening and yet despite her astonishment she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Instead she allowed herself to surrender to him, feeling all of her walls disappearing into nothingness as he deepened his kiss.

Tea gripped the back of his shirt with both hands, feeling as if she would fall away if she didn't hold onto him. She felt her heart melting in her chest and her body felt like it was on fire. She felt his hand gliding up her back and into her wet disheveled hair. He was forceful and yet she could feel the tenderness in his embrace. She loved the way he felt, the way he tasted…everything.

Kaiba pulled her closer to him, feeling her wet body press into his as he kissed her. At this point he didn't care about anything else. Her lips were enticingly soft and her mouth felt intoxicatingly warm against his. His need for her surged him on and he deepened his kiss even more; enjoying the feel of her hair entangled between his fingers.

The both of them seemed to lose all sense of time as they allowed themselves to submit to feelings beyond their control. At that moment Tea knew this was where she needed to be and she didn't care why. She would stay in Seto Kaiba's arms for as long as the moment permitted; not thinking of anything else but the sound of the rain and the feel of his kiss fervently caressing her lips into passionate submission.


	18. Emotions and a Promise

Chapter Eighteen:

Emotions and a Promise

* * *

Ocean View Hotel

Tea's Room

Saturday 7:10 am

* * *

Tea woke to the soothing hum of the alarm clock sitting on the small dresser next to her bed.

It was the same gentle sound she had opened her eyes to for the past few days during her stay at the Ocean View. Yet something was different about that morning…

There was a strange sensation in her mind…

It felt as if something had changed.

As she adjusted her eyes to the light of a new day, she noticed that the rain was still falling outside her window.

Through the drapes, she stared at the coconut trees swaying lightly in the wind, as the rain poured down onto the leaves.

She lay in bed for a few seconds, thinking of nothing….until the memory started pouring back into her mind like a smoldering cup of hot coffee…jolting her back to reality.

The memory burned into her mind causing her heart to speed up.

She had kissed Seto Kaiba!

She breathed in heavily as she put her hand over her forehead, feeling the full weight of what had happened crash down onto her.

She rolled over onto her side and lay staring at the time flashing across the screen of the alarm clock.

Could it have possibly been a dream?

She instantly remembered the taste of his lips and feel of his arms around her.

No, It wasn't.

It had happened! The memory was real!

She tried not to, but her thoughts wouldn't let her; she plunged herself into the moment once again.

Feeling her heart flooding with unparalleled emotion ….

Her pulse quickening with every breath as she allowed the memory to wash over her.

* * *

A few hours ago…

* * *

Tea's eyes remained closed as she allowed herself to enjoy the way Kaiba's lips felt against hers. She ignored every warning signal going off inside of her head. Her walls were desperately trying to build themselves back up again….but she wouldn't let them. This moment was unlike any she'd ever experienced. She wanted to enjoy it; she wanted him to keep kissing her, to keep touching her, to keep setting fire to her body.

Kaiba held her against him. He still couldn't believe what was happening but, he was glad that it was.

Her body was trembling and the cold air around them only accentuated the heat inside their own bodies.

He wanted to keep her there as long as he could; Blocking the rest of the world out of sight and out of mind. But he knew he would have to let go of her eventually.

He loosened his grip on her as he deliberately but slowly released her from his kiss, pulling his lips away ever so slightly. He saw her open her eyes as he drew back; giving them space and allowing them time to assess one another.

He studied her eyes as she stared back at him, keeping his hands around her waist. He felt her gently loosen her grip on him.

They simply stared at each other without a single word for a few seconds.

Tea noticed that his blue eyes were intent and full of compelling emotions.

Kaiba didn't wait for her to speak. He made it his responsibility to be the first.

He kept his voice quiet but sincere. She needed to understand how he felt….there was no more pretend. Everything had finally come to the light.

"…Do you resent me for that?"

Tea gazed into his eyes, unable to find her voice.

She was still trembling and she seemed reluctant to speak.

He waited for her to respond.

After a few short moments she managed to induce herself to say something.

"….No…"

She couldn't hold his stare. She averted her eyes but she didn't let go of him.

Kaiba understood her reluctance to look him in the eye.

He spoke again, his voice as sincere as before.

"…I… don't want you to think I'm forcing you to let me into your life…."

He paused, noticing that she was looking into his eyes again.

He continued, glad that he had gotten her full attention.

"...but …I'd be lying if I said…I didn't want you to."

Tea kept her eyes on his as he spoke. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

It was cold and the rain showed no signs of stopping.

She felt as if she had somehow been sucked into another reality.

His words seemed too unreal to grasp.

She listened to him as he continued.

"…I don't know how else to say this …other than to just tell you how I feel..."

Tea seemed to find a new helping of courage hidden behind her reluctance to accept the truth.

She imagined that it must've been extremely difficult for him to say those things to her.

So for his sake, she found her voice at last.

"…It's ok…

Her eyes were intense with feeling.

" …You don't have to say anything….I…understand…"

Kaiba listened to her intently as she went on.

"…because…I feel the same way…about you."

She averted her eyes again.

Kaiba felt something inside him stir. Her words were unexpected but more appreciated than she could ever imagine. He allowed her time to continue.

"…but…Is it really ok to feel this way? …The way I am now….I don't know if I can…"

Kaiba interrupted her before she could say anything else.

"You don't have to make a decision about this now…."

He lifted her chin so that she would look at him.

"..All I want… is for you to know that I'm here. Whatever you decide is fine with me, but…don't sentence yourself to a seclusion you don't deserve Tea…"

Tea gazed into his ocean blue eyes and saw nothing but intensity there.

He grazed his thumb over her check causing her entire body to succumb to fiery longing once again.

He kept his voice low and direct.

"When you're ready…you know where to find me."

Tea felt herself turning pink in the face, despite the cold.

She forced herself to respond, barely over a whisper as she looked up at him.

"…Ok…"

Kaiba kept his eyes on hers; feeling the urge to kiss her again slowing enveloping his sense of reason.

They stayed silent for a few moments longer, as Kaiba continued stroking her face.

He felt his feelings for her intensify and he could think of nothing else...

Just then, before either of them could say or do anything else, a pair of head lights stole their attention away from each other. They both looked in the direction of the approaching vehicle.

Kaiba swallowed hard as he let go of Tea; both of them stepping away from each other instinctively like teenagers caught in the act.

The jeep drove to a stop in front of the hut, the rain gushing over the windshield.

Opening the car door, an over anxious looking Ryan poked his head out into the rain.

"Sorry about the inconvenience Mr Kaiba, we'll take you two back to the hotel."

Kaiba scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

Talk about shitty timing! No wonder he reminded him of Wheeler!

He glimpsed at Tea, silently instructing her to follow him.

She did so without a single word; both of them running out of the hut and into the jeep.

Once settled inside, Mokuba turned to look at them from the passenger seat.

"Good thing I ran into Ryan at the bar just now, otherwise you two would have been stuck there for a while."

Kaiba folded his arms as he easily transformed into the king of jerks once again, not bothering to say anything.

Tea responded instead as she smiled at Mokuba.

"Thanks you guys."

Ryan replied, sounding enthusiastic.

"No problem Mrs Kaiba, can't have our most renowned guests catching a cold under our hospitality can we."

She smiled as they made their way across the beach. For some reason her title as Mrs Kaiba, still brought heat to her cheeks, even more so after what just happened between her and Kaiba.

Kaiba opted not to say anything. He glimpsed at Tea. She was staring out of the window, deeply lost in a world of thought.

He wondered what she was thinking about and if he had come on too strongly just now.

But whether that were the case or not, the truth of the matter was finally out in the open. They both had feelings for each other. Where they were headed from that point on was any bodies' guess. But he had a hunch this was only the beginning of something deeper.

Tea kept her eyes on the beach, thinking of the man sitting next to her. As unreal as it seemed, they had confessed the way they felt about each other and now there was no turning back. How was she going to handle this? How should she react around him from now on? And what kind of label should she put on their relationship? Were they actually a…couple now?

Questions bombarded her mind, none of which she had a plausible answer for.

She sighed inwardly to herself, not knowing how she should resolve the uncertainty of where she stood with the infamous CEO of Kaiba Corp.

* * *

Tea lay in her bed, still staring at the clock.

The rain falling outside made her feel like pulling the covers over her head and forcing herself to fall asleep again. Or maybe it wasn't the rain….maybe what she really wanted was…to avoid human contact with a certain someone.

She sighed as she urged herself to get up. She slowly sat up in bed, smoothing her hair out of her face. For a moment Kaiba was all she could see in her mind. Everything he had said to her felt like something from a dream. But she knew trying to avoid the situation wouldn't erase the moment they shared. And maybe that was a good thing; despite all of her efforts to deny it, she knew the kiss they shared wasn't something she wanted to forget about. She wanted to savor the memory and keep it close to her. Her feelings for Kaiba were already out of her control and she liked the way they made her feel inside. It was the first real taste of happiness she had allowed herself to grasp since she and Yami parted ways.

Maybe moving on would be just what the doctor ordered. But she had to be careful; as far as she knew she was still walking on shaky ground.

She slipped out of bed, heading straight into the bathroom.

It was time to brave a new day…and possible something else.

* * *

Kaiba's room

8:00am

* * *

Kaiba lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. His hands were clasp behind his head and he was lost in thought. He couldn't seem to get Tea out of his head, since he opened his eyes that morning.

The TV was on but he couldn't hear it. Nothing seemed important or interesting enough to pull his mind away.

He had trouble sleeping that night, and had woken much earlier than he would have preferred that morning. The way Tea's lips felt against his, haunted his memory and as much as he tried to fight the feeling, he knew he wanted nothing more than to taste them again. The absurdity of the situation he found himself in was enough to send the old him packing and running for the door. But things were different now…she was different. He was serious about her…about wanting to be with her…about wanting to be the one she turned to.

He blew out a breath, his messy brown bangs shifting out of his eyes as he allowed himself to ponder.

As he thought about it, he realized that he had never actually been in a serious relationship before. Based on his experiences, everything he knew about romances were shallow and one sided.

He was no virgin and although few, he had had his share of romantic encounters with the opposite sex but this was nothing like those other times.

He had no idea what he was going to say to her the next time he saw her. But he knew he had better get his act together. He had made her a promise and he intended to keep it. When she finally decided to let him into her life, he needed to be ready for the responsibilities that came with the title.

The rain continued to pour as he finally made a real effort to reach for the T.V remote lying next to him on the bed.

* * *

Tea poured herself a cup of chocolate milk. She had already gotten dressed and had decided to have a small breakfast before venturing out of her hotel room.

Since the rain was showing no signs of stopping she doubted very much Mokuba had anything planned for them that day. Maybe she could use this downtime to her advantage. She had a lot of things to think about.

As she took a sip of the smoking cup of hot chocolate, she was startled by the sound of her cell phone buzzing lightly on the tiled counter. She stared at it as it vibrated, as if she was indecisive about reaching for it. She put the cup back onto the counter, biting down on her bottom lip as she reluctantly picked it up. To her relief however, it wasn't the man she had been avoiding the entire trip. Instead, it was another unexpected call from her Dance Instructor back in Japan.

Her heart was hesitant.

Did she dare to step into that world again?

It had taken her a considerably long time to convince herself to pack away her dreams and store them away inside a gilded box never to be touched or tampered with again.

How on earth was she supposed to undo such a sturdy resolution and waltz her way back into hoping a second time?

Despite herself she knew she had already made a promise to her instructor that she would give it another shot; yet she couldn't seem to find a plausible reason why she did.

She sighed not knowing what she should do.

She stared at the phone ringing inside her hand for a few moments longer.

Finally she made her decision.

Despite all of her fear and indecision she accepted the call.

For well over a few minutes, her dance instructor felt the need to apologize; First for not keeping in contact with her and secondly for adding her name to the list of Julliard applicants all those months ago.

Tea was glad for the gesture of kindness.

The conversation thereafter however, drifted into the subject which Tea feared the most; her future in relation to a new & improved dancing career.

"Ms, Reyuna, I really don't know how to say this but…I'm not sure that I like dancing anymore."

Ms Reyuna's voice reflected deep & troubled concern.

"..But Tea I don't understand, what happened to make you change your mind about this?"

Tea felt the hurt she had shoved at the back of her mind for the past few weeks, threatening to rear its ugly head again.

She breathed deeply before responding.

"…A lot of things have changed Ms Reyuna; and I….just can't see myself going back…"

"But, I thought you told me that you would think about coming to the audition…."

"…I did, and I have thought about it, and I've realized that I…. don't love dancing anymore."

Tea heard silence on the other end of the line.

It was obvious that her instructor was upset by what she had said.

But what should she have said? Should she simply lie to herself?

Or maybe, saying she didn't love dancing anymore….maybe that was the lie.

Maybe she was just scared…scared to face the part of her that she had thrown away along with the love she thought she would have forever.

Eventually, after a few moments of silence, her Instructor responded…her voice surprisingly sympathetic and understanding.

"Tea, I wouldn't be a hundred percent honest if I said I wasn't disappointed…but I did make a promise to you, I told you that I'd support your decision…no matter what it was..."

Tea smiled, feeling grateful.

"…Thank you…"

"..But, all I can say is that, I'll never stop believing in you Tea. The audition is still open, exactly one month from now. If you feel even the slightest change of heart….please, don't run away from it."

Tea sighed quietly.

"…I…understand."

After a few good natured well wishes, they finally ended their conversation.

Tea replaced the phone onto the counter, looking pensive and deeply resonated in her instructor's words.

She took a deep calming breath as she reached for her cup of chocolate milk again. She walked out to the balcony, peering out at the rain.

The beach was void of any sign of human life and the ocean was gray and choppy. The wind whipped around her and for some reason she loved the feel of it against her body. Her senses seemed more at ease when she was standing amidst nature's elements. Somehow, the sound of the rain reminded her that all of her frustration was only temporary and could easily be washed away.

She took another sip of her morning pick me up, feeling a longing she never knew she could feel for any other man. It didn't surprise her that Kaiba's embrace was all she could think about as her thoughts drifted away into the stormy blustery weather.

* * *

Kaiba's Room

9:32 am

* * *

Mokuba beamed as his older brother opened the door.

"Morning big brother!"

He didn't wait for a response, knowing all too well the kind of greeting he would receive.

Kaiba closed the door behind them as Mokuba ran into the room.

"Is there a reason you're so hyper this early in the morning Mokuba?"

"…Uh, no..I'm just happy to see you Seto…"

Kaiba scoffed, as he returned to the pantry to fix himself a cup of coffee.

"Happy to see me huh….I guess it has nothing to do with this Rebeeca that keeps calling you right?"

Mokuba plunged himself onto the couch and grabbed the remote.

"…Of course not Seto…whatever gave you that idea?"

Kaiba shook his head with amusement as he poured the hot water into his mug.

His brother was growing up before his very eyes, and his smart mouth was beginning to sound a little more like his own with every passing day.

The smell of the freshly brewed French Vanilla coffee finally made him feel like he was actually awake. He had done nothing but laze around the apartment all morning thinking about Tea.

The idea of spending more time with her made him anxious. He wanted to see her; A little too badly to be considered healthy.

But he knew charging carelessly into things would only prove to be unwise.

He would have to bide his time with her, he cared about her too much to risk causing her any more pain.

Eventually he would have her; he just needed to be patient.

Just then, before he had a chance to ponder on anything else, he felt his cell phone go off inside his pocket.

He irritably stopped what he was doing and fished it out, whipping it open.

-"This better be important…."

…

-"…What? I didn't put you in charge so you could screw up the entire deal!"

…..

-"…obviously that's impossible, I'm out of the country right now you moron!"

Mokuba overheard his brother conversing over the phone from the living room. He cringed to himself.

At times like these he was glad Seto was his brother and not his boss.

-"…How much money are we talking about here? Gimme something solid!"

Kaiba sighed in frustration.

-"...Fine….then I guess it can't be helped! Think you can keep it from getting worse before then? Or is that not part of your job description!

…

-"Good, you should be! I'll deal with you and this situation when I get back!"

He shut the phone, looking extremely annoyed.

He shoved it back into his pocket, angrily switching his attention back to his cup of unmade coffee.

"Is everything ok big brother?"

Mokuba propped himself over the back of the couch, his full attention on Kaiba.

"Looks like that idiot screwed up the deal with Skynet.".

"…So does that mean, everything's off?"

Kaiba hesitated before responding.

"..Not yet, I'm supposed to meet with them before the end of the week to discuss the contract"

He finished making his cup of coffee and headed into the living room to join his brother.

Mokuba slid back into the couch, looking worried.

"So what does that mean? "

Kaiba took a seat in the single couch closest to the balcony.

He paused for a few seconds before responding, looking hesitant.

He paid close attention to his brother as he spoke.

"Mokuba…I'm sorry, but...I might have to cut our vacation short by a few days."

Mokuba looked back at him, with disappointment overshadowing his face.

"…But Seto, you promised you wouldn't let work get in the way of our vacation…Isn't there some other way?"

Kaiba looked back at him, apologetically.

"…There's no one else…I'm the only one who can do this…"

Kaiba saw the look of disenchantment in Mokuba's eyes and immediately regretted his decision.

But he knew there was nothing that could be done. As much as he wanted to this time, He couldn't shirk his responsibilities as CEO of Kaiba Corp.

Mokuba let his shoulders droop as he sighed miserably.

"…I guess being wealthy comes with a price huh Seto…"

Kaiba looked at his brother with real concern in his eyes. He hated having to make decisions like this one and he felt as if there was nothing else he could do. His decisions were always difficult and somehow it was always Mokuba who ended up paying for them each and every time.

At moments like this one, he wished he could trade it all for his brother's happiness.

Unfortunately, the world didn't work that way.

He sighed helplessly.

"… It's only a few days Mokuba…We still had a good time didn't we?"

Mokuba smiled halfheartedly.

"..I guess…, I just wanted us to spend more time together and…I wanted you to relax and not have to think about Kaiba Corp for at least a few more days…."

Kaiba understood his disappointment all too well and somehow he felt like the villain in all this.

"Mokuba…I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. You know I wouldn't do this if I didn't absolutely have to."

Mokuba looked back at his brother supportively, despite his disappointment.

"…its ok big brother, I understand."

Kaiba couldn't help feeling like scum. Why did this always have to happen, it wasn't fair to him or his brother.

They paused for a bit as Kaiba reclined, taking a sip of his coffee at last.

Mokuba looked at his brother broodingly.

"Um…Seto, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Mokuba hesitated, but continued anyway.

"….uh, is something really going on between you and Tea?"

Kaiba felt the sudden mention of Tea, crash into his psyche, jolting his attention.

"…Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"Well, yesterday, you told those girls that she was your girlfriend…"

"I only told them that to get them off her case…"

Mokuba decided to press on. Judging by his brother's tone, he was definitely hiding something.

"…Ok, so the fact that you actually defended her means nothing right?"

"Those girls needed a good scolding, if anything; I was doing society a favor."

He took another sip of his coffee, hoping his brother would drop the subject altogether, Unfortunately Mokuba wasn't one to back away from anything.

"But, you two have been spending a lot of time together; you even spent a night in the same hotel room! "

"And your point would be?…"

Mokuba looked at his brother knowingly.

"Come on Seto, don't you think I'm old enough to fit the pieces together? You like her don't you?"

Kaiba felt outwitted.

He tried to formulate a valid response in his mind, but he gave up just as fast.

He sighed, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to lie to his brother…and judging by what happened between him and Tea last night, it was only a matter of time before he found out anyway.

He sighed, Frustrated with defeated.

"….Fine, I like her ok…happy?"

Mokuba beamed as if he had just won the lottery.

"I knew it!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes as he took another sip of coffee.

'So did you tell her? Do you want me to?"

Kaiba blew out a frustrated breath as he rose from his seat.

"Mokuba, would you just drop it already, I told you I like her, so just leave it at that ok! I don't want to hear another word about it!"

"Aye Aye big brother."

Mokuba pretended to salute, feeling giddy with childish excitement.

His brother and Tea falling for each other was exactly what he had hoped would happen.

* * *

Kaiba walked out onto the veranda, staring out at the beach. The rain continued to pour down onto the island. Everything was hazy and white and he couldn't see much of anything in the distance.

His thoughts wandered back to Tea. He still wanted to see her and he wondered what she was doing alone in her room. With everything that's happened between them and the way he felt about her, he wondered what the coming days had in store for them.

* * *

Mokuba reclined into the couch feeling irritable. He flipped through the channels aimlessly, hoping for something to grab his interest. After a few minutes he finally gave up, stopping on one of the island's local channels. There was an advertisement about the Ocean View Hotel hot spots going on; nothing of real interest. Since they were going to be leaving earlier than expected he didn't see the need to schedule any more hotspot excursions.

He sighed as he continued staring blankly at the advertisement. Suddenly one of the attractions caught his attention.

Hmmm…

It was an exclusive guest only night club.

Like clockwork the wheels in his head started to turn.

He whipped out his phone to record the contact numbers, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips.

* * *

Tea was curled up on the couch, watching the rain fall outside. Her mind was in a state of perplexity; all her thoughts clustering into a mesh of unstructured clouds.

Interestingly enough, her life had suddenly turned into a sequence of unanswered questions.

She laid out the details in her mind like a list of newspaper headlines.

First there was the issue of her dancing career. Was she really being truthful to herself about not wanting to follow her dreams again?

Then there was the issue of Yami. Why was he trying to be a part of her life again? It just didn't make any sense to her at all.

And then, last but certainly not least…there was Seto Kaiba.

This was where her questions ended.

Her pulse quickened at the thought of him.

Although she was uncertain about their relationship, there was something inside of her that wasn't so indecisive. She had feelings for him….Real feelings. And now, after the way he kissed her, she knew her heart would never be the same.

The sentiment was enough to make her feel like she was trapped inside a dream.

She had no idea how she was going to face him after all that's happened. But she knew she would have to find the courage somewhere, and fast. Kaiba wasn't one to be taken lightly.

Just then, there was a sturdy knock on the door.

She felt a jolt of electric anticipation rush through her body, fearing the worst.

Oh no, what if that was Kaiba?

She didn't realize how much his kiss had affected her until that very moment.

The prospect of facing him, made her feel like jumping out of the window and running through the rain in the opposite direction.

God, get a grip!

She scolded herself for being such a coward.

She swallowed hard as she forced herself to get up off the couch.

It was cold so she had slipped a baby pink cardigan sweater over her t-shirt.

She pulled the sleeves over her wrists trying to keep herself as warm as possible before venturing out to face the inevitable.

Her heart was pounding as she made sure her hair was still in place.

She scolded herself again for acting like a silly schoolgirl.

She crossed the living room and headed straight to the door.

She took a deep calming breath as she gently pulled it open.

Just as she had fearfully anticipated, Kaiba was standing in her doorway, looking down at her with those gorgeous ocean blue eyes of his, captivating her instantly.

Their eyes met in a clash of emotion rushing back into each of their bodies. Kaiba welcomed the sight of her. Instantly, everything they felt and everything they shared with each other the night before, gushed back into his memory. For a moment everything else seemed to fall away.

Tea looked up at him, her heart hammering in her chest. Her emotions were spilling over.

His eyes were even bluer than she remembered them.

She felt unhinged in his presence; like she was falling to pieces under his gaze.

She looked up at him not knowing what to say.

Kaiba forced himself to swallow the emotion threatening to drown his senses.

He saw her discomfort and decided that it was his responsibility to make her feel at ease around him.

He sighed hopelessly, the way he usually did, but he kept his voice as reassuring as he could.

"Relax, I'm not gonna kiss you."

Although stiff with unyielding anxiety, Tea felt a large part of it disappear under her amusement.

Despite the hurricane going on inside her, she managed to smile at him.

Kaiba felt something tighten in his chest as he looked at her beautiful smile.

She responded looking shy and as cute as a button.

"Good to know."

She felt her cheeks turning red and she felt like sinking into the ground. She pulled her eyes away from his, feeling the full weight of his gorgeous gaze taking its toll on her.

Kaiba saw that her eyes were full to bursting with unspoken emotion for him and he knew she was scared to let him see. But he was able to read her like an open book.

He stared at her, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms.

He eventually remembered the reason he had come to see her in the first place.

"So, can we talk?"

She looked back up at him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach having a party at her expense.

She nevertheless found the strength to respond; Patting herself on the back for not making a total fool of herself.

"..Yea, sure."

She stepped aside for him come in.

As he passed by her she felt the tension in her body start to intensify again.

She followed him into the living room, biting her lip and trying desperately to gather herself while she was momentarily safe from his piercing stare.

He walked over to the middle couch and casually took a seat. She did the same, opting for the couch next to his.

She sat quietly, fiddling with the edges of her sweater before finally looking at him. His arms were folded comfortably and he was staring at the floor as if he was deep in thought about something.

When he finally looked at her, she felt another jolt of intimidation run through her body.

He spoke first. His voice much kinder than it usually was.

"So, after last night, I take it you'll be trying to avoid me for the rest of the trip right?"

She felt heat rising to her checks again; his directness taking her by surprise.

"…No…why would I do that?"

"…Cuz you're afraid of me…even more, now that I've kissed you."

He kept his eyes glued to hers.

Tea noticed right away that he was trying to intimidate her the way he usually did. She was grateful; his childlike taunting made her feel more at ease.

She smiled, keeping her blushing to a bare minimum.

"...Despite what you think, I've never been afraid of you…"

"…If you weren't then…..you are now."

She found herself blushing again, averting her eyes in the process.

"…I'd hate to admit it…but, you're probably right about that."

Kaiba loved the way she sounded when she was being shy; there was something seductively innocent about it.

"Don't worry…. you're safe. I only drink human blood on special occasions."

She smiled again, impressed by his wit and knack for controlling the conversation.

"…ok, good …as long as you give me the heads up."

"…Nah, I think it's better if you're constantly on your toes, it's more fun that way."

She felt herself succumbing to her girlish tendency to cringe under his unnerving confidence.

Kaiba was glad that he was able to get their little kissing scenario out of the way first, before he went on to anything else. Apparently he had made the right judgment call; being open about it eliminated most of the tension between them.

He wanted to discuss the way they felt about each other, but he decided that he would only be going against his promise to her.

He had told her that he was willing to wait for her and that she didn't have to force herself to let him into her life. So despite the way he felt at that moment, he knew he had no other choice but to leave the matter alone for now.

Instead he decided that it was time to focus on the other more pressing matters at hand.

He continued.

"Anyway, the real reason I came was to tell you I got an important call this morning from Kaiba Corp and I think we'll have to head back to Japan earlier than expected."

"Oh really, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

He blew out a frustrated breath, thinking about the whole messy contract situation.

"Nothing I can't handle, the idiot I put in charge managed to mess up one of my contracts with an important client."

"Oh, ok…"

As he spoke to her, Tea started to feel more at ease.

"Leaving here earlier isn't a problem for me but…Mokuba's not too happy about it."

Tea saw the concern in his eyes for his little brother and immediately felt the approbation building up in her chest.

"Yea, I guess he would be upset about that. This vacation means a lot to him."

She looked away, a worried expression on her face.

Kaiba noticed that she seemed equally concerned about Mokuba. Her tendency to care about others was always something he admired in her.

"Yea he is…"

For a moment Tea thought she saw him hesitate, but it was gone as fast as it reared its head so she dismissed it.

He continued.

"…That's why he was able to back me into a corner."

She frowned, looking perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"The hotel is having a grand opening of their new Night Club tomorrow night…"

"…Ok…but, what does that have to do with backing you into a corner?"

Kaiba sighed, looking defeated.

"He wants me to take you to the premiere tomorrow…"

He paused

"…as my date."

Tea felt his words pierce through her, jolting the butterflies in her stomach into frenzy again.

She tore her eyes away from his and stared at the floor, looking mortified.

Kaiba couldn't help feeling amused at her tendency to panic over the slightest of things.

He leaned forward so that he could get her attention again.

"Would that be a problem for you?"

She looked back at him, feeling intimidated again. But she responded, nevertheless.

"..Not…Exactly..."

Kaiba listened to her attentively.

"So what's wrong?"

He watched her struggle within herself. She hesitated but was able to respond all the same.

"….Are…. you ok with people seeing us together?"

Kaiba studied her expression seriously, seeing the self-doubt practically drowning her eyes.

"Why would I have a problem with that?"

She hesitated again but continued.

"…I'm… not a public figure like you…"

Kaiba noticed that she was avoiding his eyes and he could tell that for whatever reason she was starting to feel insecure about their transition.

'Are you still worrying about what those walking cans of hairspray said to you yesterday?"

She smiled a bit, obviously amused by his choice of words. But it faded too soon.

She responded.

"…Not exactly, it's just that I know I…don't really …fit in around here…"

The tone of her voice made it easy for him to understand what she was going through. She was obviously, blissfully unaware of how special she was…..and it bothered him.

He lowered his voice, so she would look at him.

"…You're right, you don't..."

His statement made her look up at him.

His eyes were sincere.

"…because you're not rotten to the core like the rest of us."

He was glad to see her smile.

Tea noticed that his eyes were soft and comforting. He was concerned about her, and it made her grateful. She looked down at her lap again, unable to hold his piercing gaze.

She fiddled with the edge of her sweater.

Kaiba took the opportunity to shift the conversation back on track. Being direct was always best.

He paused before continuing.

"So… does this mean you're gonna turn me down?"

Tea looked at him again; Perplexity shadowing her features.

"Turn you down? You say that like you were the one that arranged this…I thought this whole thing was Mokuba's idea."

"It was, but that doesn't mean I can't take advantage of the opportunity."

Tea felt the blood rushing into her face again. She tried not to, but her curiosity wouldn't let her. She summoned the courage to ask.

"So… is this like…a real date?"  
Tea noticed the devilish glint in his eyes.

"It can be whatever you want it to be…..do you want it to be a real date?"

Tea felt the full weight of his question crashing down on her head like a ton of bricks.

Yet, despite all the pressure building up inside her body, she couldn't stop herself from responding.

"…Maybe…"

Her voice was soft and a bit fearful, but Kaiba knew exactly what to make of it.

He smiled at her, glad that she was finally opening up to him.

"So is that a yes?"

Despite all the butterflies fluttering inside her stomach she managed to speak again; finding the courage to look him in the eye.

"…Yes…"

Kaiba stared back, satisfied with her answer; his deep ocean blue eyes reflecting his approval.

"Okay…then it's settled…."

His looked at her intensely.

"…it's a date."

Tea felt her heart pounding in her chest. It was a feeling like no other staring into his eyes; frightening and at the same time exhilarating.-Enough to make a girl lose all sense of emotional control.

Just then a whirring sound interrupted their moment.

Kaiba drew back irritably shoving his hand into his pocket to retrieve his buzzing cellphone.

"What?"

Tea was amazed at how easy it was for him to transform into business mode. He did it with so much confidence and ease it was almost…sexy.

She watched silently as he argued with the unfortunate soul on the other end of the line.

As she took the time to let her thoughts marinate, she suddenly realized something detrimental.

She felt girlish panic grip her chest.

She was glad he was distracted and he didn't see the look of mortification on her face.

She kept silent until he was finally finished with his phone call.

He sighed in frustration as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. As he drew his attention back to her, he noticed the worried expression on her face.

"What's the matter?"

She hesitated, feeling reluctant and a bit embarrassed.

"…Well...I…don't really have anything… appropriate to wear tomorrow night…"

Kaiba smirked mischievously as he folded his arms again.

"And you're worried about this why?"

"Well, it's not like I can stroll in there wearing nothing but my bathing suit."

"…I guess you're right; too many guys looking at you the wrong way, means too many assassination orders…I hate dealing with red tape."

Tea smiled, feeling the urge to blush.

For some reason the thought of him being jealous over her, made her insides turn to mush.

Kaiba was glad he could make her smile but he sensed she didn't actually feel any better about her wardrobe predicament. In his opinion she looked beautiful in anything she wore but he decided that girls weren't always as simple as men.

He decided to put her mind at ease.

"..Don't worry about it okay, Last time I checked I think the hotel has a shopping complex somewhere on the island. I'll take you there tomorrow. You can choose something then."

Tea felt the muscles in her stomach tighten.

"…But I won't feel right, having you spend money on me like that…"

He sighed.

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Not to brag or anything, but money isn't really an issue for me."

"…..I know but…"

He cut her off before she could finish.

"You need an outfit so I'll make sure you get one, it's that simple."

Tea knew when she was defeated. His confidence was almost scary sometimes.

She sighed.

"..Fine…"

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, sensing her inner battle with uncertainty and self-doubt.

It was in his hands now; he would rescue her from herself.

He leaned forward again. Her hands were resting on her lap. He placed his hand reassuringly over hers; holding it firmly so she would be able to feel the truth in his words.

He lowered his voice so she could hear the sincerity in it, captivating her with his eyes.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine…you're safe with me."

Tea stared back at him, feeling her pulse quickening. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't stop staring back at him.

She nodded.

"…ok…"

Kaiba felt her pulse as he held her hand under his. The feel of it heightened the way he felt as he stared at her.

"…And…just so you know, or in case you weren't sure…every word I said to you last night was real….."

He tightened his grip ever so slightly.

"…So trust me…I want you to."

Tea felt as if she were falling into a dream state and Kaiba was the only thing keeping her from fading away. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't stop herself from savoring the warmth he injected into her heart.

She felt the words begging to spill from her lips and she knew she couldn't stop the need to voice the way she felt.

She allowed herself to speak to him without restriction.

She kept her voice quiet and meaningful.

"…Is that… all you want from me? My trust?"

Kaiba felt the implication of her words. And he responded truthfully.

"…I think you know what I want…."

By the look in his eyes, Tea knew that he meant every word.

His words rippled in her mind, as if they were imagined.

She pulled her eyes away again, unable to face the intensity.

"..But I…"

He interrupted one more time.

"…But like I said before, I'm not forcing you….take your time…..then….. make a decision."

Kaiba knew she was scared and he couldn't blame her. In a matter of a few hours their relationship had transitioned a full 180 degrees. A few months ago they were practically worlds apart, mere acquaintances who barely tolerated one another….now they were staring into each other's eyes, on the brink of becoming something more.

He kept holding her hand, waiting for her to take in everything he had said to her.

She finally looked up at him, after a few seconds of gathering her thoughts.

"…You're serious about this…."

It was more of a statement than a question.

He responded seriously.

"..I am."

Giddy with disbelief and girlish introversion, she stared back at Kaiba.

It was like something from a movie but she willed herself to remember that it was real.

She returned his gestures with a smile.

She nodded, understanding what he was willing to give and feeling a bit more confident.

"..Ok, I'll consider your offer; after all, you're the boss Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba smiled back amused by her choice of words.

"Good, don't ever forget that."

His voice was provocative and it sent shivers through her entire body.

As she looked at him she suddenly felt the urge to kiss him.

Where the hell did that come from?

But could you blame her?

She had actually done the unthinkable…a fan girl's dream…locking lips with the infamous CEO of Kaiba Corp.

And he was good…better than anyone could ever imagine.

All she could think about at that moment was kissing him and having him touch her the way he did before.

Her cheeks involuntarily burned crimson with inner embarrassment over her inability to control her hormones.

God, you would think that she had somehow receded back into a teenager.

Kaiba noticed that she was turning pink and he didn't have to think hard to know why.

He was holding her hand after all and the subject wasn't exactly what you'd call 'friendly conversation.'

He couldn't lie to himself; he wanted to kiss her again.

He had to use every ounce of his inner strength to keep himself from doing just that.

There was a time and place for everything…and now wasn't either.

They had their first date tomorrow, courtesy Mokuba's meddling, and he would just have to wait for everything between them to unfold naturally.

Until then, he would just have to curb his insatiable desire to do 'bad' things to her.

His mind scolded him for being overbearingly primal.

Before they could say anything else, another unwelcomed call interrupted their moment.

Kaiba casually let go of her hand as he sighed angrily.

Tea watched as he reclined comfortably into the couch, whipping out his cellphone once again.

She stayed silent as he bantered back and forth with the unfortunate person on the other end of the line.

She glanced out the sliding door, leading to the balcony. The rain was still pouring and the wind was a bit stronger than it was a few minutes ago.

For some reason the weather only accentuated the way she felt. It was so cozy sitting there in such a lovely living room taking to him like that. Her heart felt content.

After a few minutes, Kaiba was finally done with his phone call.

He was frustrated and it showed.

He sighed

"Sorry to cut our conversation short but, looks like I have some urgent stuff to take care of."

He rose to his feet.

Tea rose as well, looking concerned.

"…Is it the contract again?"

"Yea."

They both crossed the living room.

Tea opened the door for him to leave.

As he stood out in the hallway, Tea intervened.

"..Do you need any help?"

He turned to look at her.

"…I mean I am still your secretary right?"

Tea saw his trade mark of a smirk pull across his lips.

"…Secretaries don't usually make out with their bosses."

Tea felt herself blushing again, but she was never one to back away from his challenges.

She smiled shyly.

"…You kissed me remember…"

"And you kissed me back…so I guess we're even."

Tea folded her arms in amusement.

Were they actually flirting?

It was strange but for some reason she felt like playing along.

"So does this mean my services aren't needed anymore Mr Kaiba?"

"Highly unlikely…besides…after tomorrow night, if you play your cards right…you might just get a promotion."

Tea felt her heart start to hammer inside her chest. Flirting with Seto Kaiba wasn't for the faint of heart.

The butterflies in her stomach rekindled the party again.

She couldn't respond.

She dragged her eyes away, turning red.

Kaiba was glad he was able to make her blush so easily. Winning was something he did well and without much effort.

"Just make sure you're ready for what's coming…"

Tea reluctantly stared up at him again.

She assumed that he was referring to their date tomorrow night but there was something playful in his eyes…something dangerously suggestive.

She simply nodded, despite the fact that she was still turning pink.

"…Don't worry, I will be…"

She had no idea where her courage was coming from but she was grateful for the strength.

They finally parted ways, both retreating to their respective hotel rooms.

Tea propped her back against the door, looking up at the ceiling, her heart still beating heavily in her chest.

Her reality was about to be changed forever…and even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her dormant love life was about to be jolted back into the world of the living again… sooner than she had time to prepare herself for...

* * *

The day went by slowly. With the rain, there was little they could do.

Kaiba had spent the remainder of the day tying up loose ends and liaising with Kaiba Corp personnel.

Mokuba had decided to give him some privacy so that he could work without any distractions.

He and Tea had spent most of the day in her room, watching TV and discussing certain topics of interest; mainly, the fact that she and his brother had actually admitted to falling for each other.

By the time they had parted ways at the end of the day, Tea had enough anxiety to make her want to catch a flight back to Japan that very same night.

Mokuba had explained the basics of a typical public appearance by Seto Kaiba.

There would be lights, cameras, reporters, people talking and curious on lookers.

As she prepared for her evening shower she couldn't help anticipating the worst.

Apparently, the hotel had made their night club premiere into a larger than life event.

There was no way that Seto Kaiba would slip by unnoticed…..and neither would his date for that matter.

She sighed as she changed into her bath robe.

How on earth was she going to get through something like this? She wasn't cut out for life under the spot light.

How Kaiba and Mokuba did it was beyond her.

When she finally stepped into the shower her head was spinning.

Why did it have to be so complicated?

She turned the knob, allowing the warm water to flow over her body.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess…and yet, despite all her anxiety, one thing remained clear and unchanged. There would be someone standing beside her through all the insanity. Kaiba promised to keep her safe and she believed him.

She smiled as she allowed herself to experience the warmth that only the thought of Kaiba could bring to her heart. Tomorrow would be nothing short of interesting to say the least.

Her first official date with an unlikely candidate…the one and only Seto Kaiba.


	19. Unforeseen

Chapter Nineteen:

Unforeseen

* * *

The next morning had arrived quickly. The rain was already starting to show signs of stopping, with scattered rays of sun light, trying desperately to filter in through the heavy layer of grey clouds.

Tea had her eyes glued to the Television. Luckily, after a few minutes of searching, she had finally managed to track down an advertisement of the highly anticipated Ocean View night club premiere being held later that evening.

Opting for something a little different that morning she had made herself a smoking cup of coffee flavored with a generous helping of peppermint mocha. She listened attentively to the reporter's words, trying desperately to soak up every scrap of information she could.

As much as she wished and willed herself not to be, she couldn't help the unmistakable feeling of dread creeping up her spine. She sighed, feeling disappointed in herself.

Why did she always have to get so worked up about everything?

But could she really blame herself?

If ever there was a time to be worried, shouldn't now be it?

This wasn't a simple stroll in the park….It was her first official date with Seto Kaiba!

And the last thing she wanted was to make a complete fool of herself on such an important occasion.

They were becoming something else, and they had finally accepted it.

Now she was left with an important decision to make.

Kaiba wanted to be a part of her life but he needed her permission to step into her wounded heart.

With the way she felt about him, the choice was simple enough, wasn't it? But there was something holding her back…and she knew exactly what it was.

She was injured inside, and her defenses were on high alert.

She needed to convince herself that it was okay to take the risk again; otherwise her heart would never be free and it would ultimately remain closed forever.

She glanced at the clock hanging on the living room wall.

It was 7:30am.

If she anticipated right, she was in for a full day.

In addition to her date, Kaiba had also promised to take her shopping at the Ocean view shopping Complex.

She felt her face glowing with girlish excitement.

The sentiment sounded bizarre and unreal in her mind.

She smiled to herself feeling silly, rising to her feet. She headed into the pantry, having finished her morning cup of coffee.

As she cleaned up after herself she allowed her head to fill with thoughts of Kaiba.

She knew that he was under a lot of stress at the moment and she wished there was something she could do to help him. It was amazing how someone so young was so capable of balancing an entire company on his own two shoulders.

He was truly a force to be reckoned with.

She smiled.

No wonder the fan girls fell to his feet with stars in their eyes. Who could blame them?

Just then, there was a small knock on the door.

With a perplexed expression she dropped what she was doing and made her way through the living room.

Who could that be this early in the morning?

She cracked the door open, looking curious.

"Good morning Ms Gardner."

She was greeted with the warm smile of a young woman. She was dressed in white and black and her auburn curly hair was pulled neatly away from her face.

Tea smiled back, despite being utterly confused.

She noticed that the woman was holding a small package wrapped neatly in what looked like white silk.

She also noticed that this was the first time since landing on the island that someone had referred to her by her real name.

"…Good morning…"

The young woman beamed at Tea, as if she had suddenly turned into a celebrity overnight.

"Special delivery miss, Please enjoy!"

The young woman outstretched her hand, offering her the package.

Tea stared back confused and bewildered, not knowing what to say.

"..Um, …thank you."

She took the package hesitantly, feeling completely out of sorts.

The young woman smiled again.

"Have a wonderful day Miss Garner."

After bowing politely she left, leaving Tea staring at an empty hallway.

Tea held the silk package in her hand, trying to figure out what in the world just happened.

She slowly closed the door, feeling inquisitive.

She walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

She held the package on her lap, staring at it for a few seconds without actually doing anything.

After growing tired of waiting, she decided that the only way she would satisfy her curiosity was to open it.

She unraveled the wrapping carefully; involuntarily sucking in a breath as she did.

As the smooth, silky material slowly slipped away, her eyes fell onto an unexpected object;

It was a beautiful gold rimmed, black velvet jewelry box.

Her eyes widened at the sight of it.

Immediately, one person stole his way into her mind, partially subduing her curiosity.

She smiled, unable to contain her feminine anticipation.

She carefully unclipped the sides, opening the box slowly.

The first thing she saw was a neatly folded piece of paper, with the words 'For You' written across the top. Her heart was beating as she took the note, opening it with probing tenacity.

She read the words written in bold black letters.

…..

P.S

If you're still worried about tonight…don't be.

You'll be in good hands…..mine.

SK.

…..

Tea felt her breath catch in her throat; her heart rate increasing considerably.

She stared at the words a bit longer as if she was finding it hard to believe that they were actually written there.

Kaiba had actually sent her a present! She could hardly believe her eyes.

Talk about unexpected….and not to mention…irresistibly sexy.

Somehow, reading his words made her insides feel as if they were melting away.

She immediately averted her attention to the box sitting on her lap.

She carefully removed the top layer of velvet sheeting covering its contents.

As she did, she gasped at the sight of the object layed out neatly inside the bottom layer of the box.

She placed her hand to her chest in astonishment.

It was one of the most beautiful necklaces she had ever laid her eyes on.

The chain itself was studded with tiny translucent gem stones and the pendant was a beautiful glass butterfly with an intricate wing design, sculpted with what she assumed was blue sapphire.

She stared at the necklace inside the box as if it were an imaginary object that would disappear if she stopped looking at it.

Was this all for her?

She bit her lip as she cautiously ran her fingers over the pendant.

This couldn't be real? This had to be a dream. Any minute now she would wake up and then feel silly for ever believing something like this could ever happen…..

….But it wasn't a dream was it?

It was real…just as real as the fact that she and Seto Kaiba were about to step into another kind of relationship entirely.

She felt heat rising to her cheeks.

She continued staring at the necklace. As much as she wanted to take it out of the box, she decided that now wasn't the time.

Judging by his note, he obviously wanted her to wear it to the premiere that night.

She blushed.

And so she would…

It would grace her neck only when the occasion called for it.

It was the least she could do to show Kaiba how much she appreciated it.

She couldn't help feeling her heart filling up with a special kind of warmth. She loved it…but at the same time…. she was afraid of it.

Her defenses were still urging her to proceed with caution.

Why couldn't she let go of the past?

She sighed as she replaced Kaiba's note, fastening the box shut once again.

Life was actually giving her a second chance to be happy again, so why couldn't she just accept it?

She rose from the couch, feeling frustrated with herself.

She headed into the bedroom, with the box in hand.

She placed it gently atop the dresser; Looking at it with a soft expression on her face.

If she wasn't careful, Kaiba was liable to sweep her right off her feet.

And for that she wasn't ready….she would have to take her time with him.

If they were meant to be, everything would fall into place exactly as it should.

She breathed out heavily as she started to prepare for her morning shower.

* * *

Kaiba's room

9:00am

* * *

Kaiba finally closed his laptop shut, yawning in the process. He was grumpy, tired and restless.

He had stayed up half the night prepping for the upcoming meeting with Skynet and had even gotten up early to continue working.

He was used to not getting any sleep, but somehow being on the island made him aware of just how overworked his body truly was.

He ran his hand through his messy brown hair, feeling lousy.

As he sat at the desk trying to recover from a full nights worth of work, his eyes fell onto a small fold of paper.

He stared at it, feeling a lighter emotion slowly eating away at his bad mood.

It was a brochure showcasing the island's leading chain of preeminent jewelry stores.

While busily cutting through his work that night, it had unexpectedly caught his attention.

Tea of course, was the first person that popped into his head when he saw it.

Knowing how worried she was the day before, he had made the decision.

He knew it would at least bring a smile to her face if nothing else.

Within seconds he was online and a few minutes later he had special ordered the necklace, personal inscription and all.

He reclined in his chair, looking at the clock sitting on the table.

Judging by the time, he assumed she would have gotten it by now.

He wondered if she liked it.

He would have loved to see the look on her face when she found out who it was from.

He knew she was still afraid to warm up to him and that she still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he had feelings for her; but he knew eventually she would, so he wasn't worried in the slightest.

It was only a matter of time before he could finally claim her as his own.

He was patient….and she was worth the wait.

As he sat pensively, he let his mind indulge her.

Before now, he never even knew he was capable of feeling this way for another person.

How she was able to get through to him was still a mystery.

Or maybe it wasn't.

She was different and he was drawn to that. He admired her strength and the way she always seemed to put others before herself…one of the few things that he always found practically impossible to do.

But she'd been hurt before.

Life played a dirty trick on her, leaving her to face the world on her own.

He was all too familiar with the sentiment.

She however, didn't deserve a life like that, and it was up to him to change her fate…and ultimately his own.

They had their first date later that day, and he would have to bide his time.

Whatever the future had in store for them, a huge chunk of it would be decided tonight…of that he was certain.

He rose from his chair, just now starting to feel a bit hungry.

He headed into the bedroom first, to find a T-shirt, being clad in nothing but a pair of boxers.

When he found one, he slipped it on and headed for the pantry.

He had ordered room service in the midst of working last night and hadn't been able to finish his meal.

He rummaged through the refrigerator, looking for left-over's.

Just then there was a loud knock on the door.

He sighed, finally getting his hands on the container of food.

He put it on the counter and slammed the refrigerator door shut, knowing exactly who it was.

He crossed the living room and yanked the door open.

Sure enough he was greeted by a beaming Mokuba, who was looking up at him with a silly wide grin on his face.

Kaiba rolled his eyes as he sighed again.

Mokuba charged his way into the room.

"Morning Seto…."

"Mokuba, would you stop making a habit out of tormenting me before 10:00am."

"Sorry big brother."

Kaiba watched as he headed into the pantry, curiously peering into the container of leftover food.

Kaiba shut the door, following him into the kitchen.

"Hey, hands off! That's my breakfast! Go find your own!"

He walked passed his overzealous little brother as he opened the overhead cupboard, searching for the coffee.

"Bet you wouldn't say that if my name was spelt with the letters T E A?"

Mokuba's taunting caught him by surprise, making it hard it hard to contain his amusement.

He nevertheless pretended not to care with more difficulty than usual, as he prepared his cup of coffee.

"…You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Who wouldn't? It's not every day you get to see the mighty Seto Kaiba turn to mush over a girl."

Kaiba couldn't help smiling hopelessly, as he stirred in the sugar.

"Is that what you call it? Turning to mush? I guess, you would know."

Mokuba's cheeks suddenly glowed bright red.

"Hey, no fair Seto! Don't try to change the subject, you're the one in the hot seat here not me!"

"Last I checked I was about to have breakfast...you're the one who can't keep your mouth shut."

Mokuba pouted stubbornly, feeling defeated.

When Kaiba was finished warming his food and making his cup of coffee, both brothers headed into the living room.

Mokuba hurriedly switched the TV on, reclining comfortably into the couch.

He waited for Kaiba to sit down before attacking.

"So what did she say?"

"About what?"

Mokuba sighed hopelessly.

"Seto, would you stop treating me like a little kid! I mean what did Tea say when you asked her to go with you to the premiere tonight?"

Kaiba shrugged as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"..She said yes."

Mokuba smiled feeling satisfied.

"..Yea I knew that, she told me all about it yesterday…I just wanted to see you squirm."

Kaiba scoffed.

"Gee thanks…and I don't squirm."

Mokuba made himself more comfortable on the couch.

"So when are you taking her shopping?"

"Aren't you the one always booking appointments? I'm supposed to be asking you."

Mokuba smiled knowingly.

"…You know me too well Seto, I already made arrangements for a chauffeur. He'll be taking you guys to the shopping complex at about 11:00am."

"As long as it's not Ryan, I'm fine with it."

Mokuba let out a hopeless sigh.

"No big brother, it's not Ryan, don't worry, I want you two to be as comfortable as possible."

Kaiba took a sip of his coffee, looking perplexed.

"Aren't you coming with us?"  
Mokuba frowned looking surprised.

"Are you kidding? I'd be a third wheel…There's no way I'd want to impose on you guys. Today is just for the both of you."

Kaiba pretended not to feel the impact of his statement.

He chose not to say anything. When it came to his little brother, the less he said about his relationship with Tea the better. Lord knows he'd never hear the end of it.

He continued eating in silence.

He had no idea how their date was going to turn out later that night, but he was leaning toward the positive. He wanted Tea to feel as comfortable as possible in his company and he didn't want her insecurities to ruin her chance to relax. Although she tried her best to hide the way she felt inside, he could tell that she was still carrying a lot of baggage on her shoulders, and it bothered him how useless he was to her.

It was time for her to experience something good in her life.

He would be the one to help her let go.

He continued his breakfast in his brother's company, eager to find out what the day had in store for them.

* * *

10:45am

* * *

Tea was sitting on the couch, feeling on edge.

She glanced at the clock for the third time as she tried her best to concentrate on the romantic comedy she had chosen to watch in an attempt to past the time.

She couldn't help feeling extremely silly as she was having a hard time not substituting the couple in the movie for Kaiba and herself.

Her cheeks burned crimson.

Sheesh, there she goes again, giving into girlish fantasies.

As she nevertheless indulged herself, a sturdy knock on her door yanked her back into reality.

Naturally, her heart started pounding again.

She reluctantly pulled herself together as she switched the TV off.

Okay, it was time to face the music.

Her day with Kaiba had officially started.

She grabbed her purse and the keycard from the cabinet and headed toward the door.

She stood in front of it for a few seconds, breathing deeply, gathering her courage.

Finally she opened the door.

Kaiba was standing out in the hallway, looking gorgeous as per usual.

He was wearing a white, simple short sleeved dress shirt and a pair of black tailored trousers. For some reason seeing him dressed so casually, made her voice disappear. She stared at him as if she was mute. His eyes stayed on hers, and it was obvious that he was amused at her reaction.

He smiled hopelessly.

"Good morning to you too."

His voice jump started her senses. She shook herself out of her dream state, feeling her face filling with color.

"…Sorry…good morning."

She stepped forward, closing the door behind her.

Kaiba kept his eyes on her deliberately. He knew she was feeling awkward and for some reason he loved that she was.

There was something enticing about the way she blushed.

He shoved his hands into his pocket.

"…Guess it'll take you some time to stop being afraid of me huh."

She smiled.

"…I'm not…."

"It's ok; I'm used to this sort of reaction from girls."

She couldn't help the gush of butterflies flowing into her stomach.

Why did he have to be so exceedingly self-assured all the time?

She looked up at him defiantly, despite herself.

"…Must be nice…no wonder you're so modest."

Kaiba smiled. Her smart mouth rearing its head was a good sign; she was starting to relax.

"Ah, there's the sarcasm we all know and love."

She blushed, as she looked away again. If she could turn to sand and blow away into the wind at that very moment she would have.

Just then, before Kaiba could get a chance to taunt her again, Mokuba came jolting out of his room.

"Hey you guys!"

Kaiba sighed as they both turned to Mokuba.

"…Just wanted to see you guys off, oh and here Seto, you forgot this."

He handed Kaiba a thin brochure.

"There's a list of all the best clothing stores and stuff, thought it might come in handy."

Kaiba scoffed, rudely.

Tea smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks Mokuba; that should be a big help."

He beamed back at Tea, looking satisfied with himself.

He decided not to keep them waiting any longer.

"Well, see you guys later, have fun."

Kaiba responded, looking annoyed.

"Mokuba, where do you think we're going? It's only a god damn shopping complex."

Mokuba put his hands behind his back innocently.

"Right…you're absolutely right big brother…there's nothing significant about today at all, what on earth was I thinking?"

Tea couldn't help smiling, amused at Mokuba's smart mouth.

"Humph, whatever."

Kaiba scoffed again as he turned his back to them and started heading toward the elevator at the end of the hall.

Mokuba sighed hopelessly.

"Well, that's my big brother for you. You better hurry up before he leaves without you."

"Oh…uh right."

She waved at Mokuba as she hurried down the hall, toward the elevator, where Kaiba was standing waiting for her.

* * *

Once inside, Tea felt the weight of being alone with him overwhelming her senses again.

They stayed silent as the floors counted down.

Tea suddenly remembered her manners.

"Um…thanks for the necklace."

Kaiba glimpsed at her, his arms folded.

"No problem."

"I love it…it's beautiful."

Kaiba felt something stir in his chest; something unfamiliar but welcoming. He was glad that he was able to bring a smile to her face.

He listened as she went on.

"But..I hope it didn't cost too much."

"Nope, Turns out it's worthless…I just picked it up after they threw it out. "

Tea smiled.

"Very Funny.'

"Besides, why would I waste my money on you? It's not like I like you or anything right?"

Tea sighed.

"Ok, ok fine, I get the point, enough with the sarcasm already."

"What sarcasm?"

Tea couldn't help smiling, feeling her cheeks turning red again.

He was so charismatic and charming sometimes that it was almost scary.

She pursed her lips together, blushing to herself as they finally stopped at the ground floor.

* * *

Ocean View Urban City District

* * *

The sun was back in all its wonder again. The rain had finally cleared away and the sky couldn't have been more blue.

Tea sat quietly next to Kaiba, feeling too uneasy to say a single word. As Mokuba arranged, they were on their way to the Ocean View Shopping Complex in the back seat of a shiny Rolls Royce phantom.

Looking at the vintage interior of the car, she couldn't help feeling out of place.

Kaiba stared out the window, thinking of Tea.

She was sitting fairly close to him and he could feel the edges of her purse touching his leg.

Why was he so prone to let his imagination run away with him whenever he was alone with her?

She was oblivious to the fact, but she once again managed to entice him by doing nothing at all.

She was wearing a black long sleeved T-shirt that hugged her body, a little too well for him not to notice, and a pair of tight faded blue jeans.

Why she was so insecure about herself was beyond him.

He turned to look at her.

She looked back at him, sensing his movements.

He lowered his voice to speak to her.

"You ok?"

She responded, smiling warmly at him.

"Yea."

"Then try not to look so worried"

She nodded.

Somehow, sitting next to him like that was making her body tense.

Kaiba noticed that she was still having a hard time relaxing. He decided that he should give her some time. He knew it was probably extremely hard getting used to a Seto Kaiba that actually had feelings for her, so he didn't put any pressure on her. As far as everything stood at the moment, they weren't exactly going out. She still had to give him the green light…or the red as the case may be.

But he had a hunch that she would be willing to give him the chance soon. He knew she had feelings for him too and it was only a matter of time before she surrendered to them.

* * *

They finally arrived at a large car park, pulling to a stop in an area sectioned off from all the other vehicles.

There were only about two other posh looking cars parked alongside them.

The notice posted on the wall above was hard to miss.

-RESERVED-

The driver, after putting the car in park, exited the vehicle, walking around the back. He stopped beside the door on Kaiba's side and opened it politely.

"We're here Mr. Kaiba, Please enjoy the accommodations."

Kaiba of course didn't bother to respond. He stepped out of the vehicle, moving aside for Tea to follow suit.

The driver shut the door behind them, obviously used to rude interjections.

Kaiba gestured for Tea to follow him.

"Come on, let's get this over with."

She did so without hesitation, knowing exactly whose turf she was on.

They both walked out of the parking lot and started toward the huge shopping centre directly in front of them.

* * *

Tea found it hard to contain her astonishment. The sidewalk leading toward the complex was lined with an array of coconut palm trees and there were a number of expensive looking restaurants lining the streets with exotic patios and outdoor dining areas.

She walked silently alongside Kaiba, soaking up the sights all around her.

She also noticed that there were a lot of people staring at them.

She tried her best to avoid their eyes, but there were so many she was finding it hard to.

Kaiba noticed her uneasiness.

He glanced at her as they walked.

"Just try to ignore them."

Tea looked up at him.

"…I am, but it's harder than I thought."

"We're almost inside; I think Mokuba already reserved one of the boutiques for us."

Tea frowned.

"Reserved?"

Kaiba forgot that she wasn't used to high society.

He explained.

"Meaning, off limits to everyone but us."

Tea couldn't help being impressed.

It was as if the world belonged to them. After everything she had been through, she would have never thought that she would one day find herself in a situation like this one.

Not that she was complaining or anything.

Kaiba glanced at his surroundings. He couldn't help noticing that there were considerably more people gawking at him than usual. The fact that he was actually in the company of a female was causing quite a stir.

For some reason, he didn't mind. Let them speculate all they wanted.

He was glad to be in Tea's company and he didn't really give a damn about the public's opinion.

Tea couldn't help feeling girlishly shy, walking alongside Kaiba.

Although it was strange, it wasn't in the slightest bit uncomfortable. In fact she actually liked it.

She blushed to herself as they both continued down the sidewalk toward the large Shopping Complex straight ahead.

* * *

Ocean View Shopping Complex

* * *

Kaiba pulled the folded brochure from his pocket. He glanced at it for a few moments until he decided on the most sensible course of action. Shopping, especially for clothes, wasn't exactly his thing so he was eager to get it over and done with. He led the way, Tea following closely behind.

The biggest difference between the Ocean View Shopping Complex and a regular mall was of course their upkeep of the Caribbean theme. Otherwise, Glossy Floors, escalators, intricate ceilings and of course a vast assortment of stores everywhere the eye could see was still the main attraction of the day.

After a few minutes of maneuvering through the scattered crowd of tourists and on lookers, Kaiba finally managed to spot the store he was looking for.

Tea noticed the name of the store inscribed in fancy looking letters.

The Blue Ritzy

It was a weird name, but at least it was unique.

As they neared their destination, she noticed that there was a 'closed' sign hanging on the glass doors.

The security guard standing at the entrance spotted them as they approached the store.

He recognized them right away, as if he were expecting their arrival.

He smiled politely as they stopped in front of the store.

He unclasped the small lock on the door.

"Welcome Mr Kaiba."

Kaiba didn't respond.

He casually stepped inside as the young man opened the doors, Tea silently following his lead.

The air-conditioned store was huge and inviting. The perfectly varnished wooden floors contrasted tastefully with the neutral cream color coated walls. There was a 'new fabric' aroma filling the entire space, with subtle hints of Pine and peppermint.

The assortment of clothing racks and shelving extended as far as the eye could see, with multiple levels of fashion sets to choose from.

Tea couldn't help the swell of feminine anticipation and excitement as she eyeballed her surroundings.

Usually, she would naturally avoid stores like this one; price tags with so many zeros weren't meant for people with regular jobs.

It felt unreal standing there. She squeezed the strap of her purse, practically gawking at the vast amount of clothing and accessories.

She spared a glance at Kaiba. He was standing there looking bored and unimpressed.

Just then a well dressed middle aged woman approached them from the back room.

"Oh my! Welcome, welcome Mr. Kaiba; I'm so glad you could make it Today!"

She glided over to where they were standing.

Her eyes immediately fell onto Tea's.

"...Oh, it's so nice to meet you Miss Gardner, welcome to The Blue Ritzy; the Ocean View Hotel's most esteemed fashion boutique! My name is Kiki Lavelle and I'll be your fashion stylist for the day. Young master Mokuba, personally requested my services and I was happy to accept."

Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and perfectly refined customer service.

Tea felt more than a little unhinged. No one on the island ever addressed her so directly before. It was as if she had suddenly become part of the rich and famous club.

She smiled thinly, not knowing what would be considered an appropriate response.

She nevertheless fumbled the first thing that came to mind.

"…Oh, um…thank you."

The woman, now identified as Kiki Lavelle, beamed at her as if she had been awarded a stylist of the year award.

Kaiba suddenly intervened.

"We don't have all day, so just give her whatever she wants, do your job and see how fast you can have us out of here before 2:00pm."

Tea saw the woman's expression falter only slightly; she was obviously used to dealing with snobbery in high dosages.

"..Of course Mr Kaiba, but your brother has also requested that you purchase something for yourself as well."

Kaiba frowned, looking perplexed.

"What for?"

"Well, he informed us that both you and Miss Garner will be attending the Night Club premiere later tonight and he requested that we offer our assistance to you both."

Kaiba paused before opening his mouth to yell at her.

He suddenly seemed to remember something he had managed to overlook all this time. Night Clubs weren't exactly his idea of a good time and he couldn't remember the last time he even stepped foot in one. In fact he highly doubted that there was anything appropriate in his entire closet back at home that would be considered night club savvy.

He sighed cursing his anti-social workaholic lifestyle.

"Fine, whatever, let's just get this over with!"

Kiki beamed again, clasping her hands together excitedly.

"Great…well I'll go get James. You two love birds can make yourselves at home, have a look around and I'll be right back."

With that said she left, retreating into the back room once again.

Tea couldn't help her cheeks turning red again at being addressed as Kaiba's lover.

The both of them stood in silence for a few seconds until Kaiba turned to look at her.

'Well, I guess the sooner we get done with this the better, go look around for something you like…and don't worry about the money."

Tea tried to protest.

"..But.."

"No buts, I want you to be comfortable tonight so choose whatever you want. Trust me, even if you decided to buy everything in the entire store, you won't be able to leave an impression on my wallet…"

She smiled, amused at his over confidence.

He continued; glad to see her lighten up.

"…so it's ok to be selfish today. It's on me."

Tea forced herself not to blush under his gaze. It was hard adjusting to this side of him but she couldn't deny the fact that the more she was exposed to it, the more she was starting to warm up to it.

She responded, feeling shy.

"….Fine….but, don't you have to pick something too?"

He sighed, obviously frustrated.

"Unfortunately yes, but the men's section is upstairs so when we're done, we'll meet each other back here ok."

Tea nodded.

"Okay"

They both parted ways and headed toward their destinations.

* * *

Approximately one hour later...

* * *

"Oh my God, now that is a gorgeous look!"

Tea stood in front of the mirror, gawking at her reflection, while Kiki did the same.

"…Mr. Kaiba won't be able to keep his hands off you when he sees you in this little number."

Tea's face glowed with embarrassment again.

She fiddled with the top.

"..Um..I'm not so sure about this, I mean, I don't usually dress this way."

"Well that's the point isn't it honey, don't forget, this is an important publicized event, you have to dress the part."

Tea felt another helping of worry filling up her stomach.

"…I know but…"

Kiki smiled empathetically.

She gently placed her hand on Tea's shoulder.

"Listen to me…are you comfortable?"

Tea hesitated before responding.

"…Well, yea I guess."

"Okay, now forget what everyone else thinks…do you like the way you look?"

Tea pursed her lips together, giving herself a once over in the mirror again.

"…Well it's really not something I'd normally wear but…I actually really like it."

"Then there's your answer, wear it, you look absolutely stunning."

Tea smiled, feeling a little more confident.

"..Thanks."

Kiki smiled back.

"I guess it must be hard keeping up with a man like Seto Kaiba."

"It is"

Tea spoke before even realizing what she had said. Why was she talking about him like they were already a couple?

Kiki continued, obviously glad she could get in some girl talk.

"Well, don't worry, I have a sixth sense about these things…he really likes you, I can tell."

Tea's face continued to glow like a Christmas tree bulb.

She decided not to say anything.

She smiled instead.

"…and I can tell you really like him too."

Kiki seemed to be getting a kick out of making her blush.

Tea continued looking at her reflection as she smiled.

"…I do."

The tone of her voice surprised her. She was being sincere, without even thinking.

Her feelings for Kaiba were growing and she hadn't even realized how much she was starting to like him.

His kiss suddenly flashed across her memory, causing her heart rate to increase.

This wasn't something she could sweep under the rug anymore. Today was more important than she even thought to realize.

After tonight, everything was going to change between them, either for better or for worse.

She suddenly felt the full pressure of their first date weighing on her shoulders like a heavy pair of boulders.

Kiki seemed to notice the worried look on her face.

"..Come on Miss, don't look so worried, he's going to love you in this, I promise."

She smiled brightly.

Tea smiled back, knowing that him liking her outfit was in fact the least of her worries.

She finalized her decision as she turned to Kiki.

"Ok, I'll take it."

* * *

Kaiba was waiting downstairs on the ground floor. Normally he would be fuming with impatience, but today he was willing to make an exception. He had finished about twenty minutes ago and had already made his purchase. Having to attend public appearances and attending all those high society meets made his fashion sense quite attuned. He was able to put something together with ease, despite the fact that he didn't exactly consider night club attire worth the effort.

He waited patiently for Tea as he sat on one of the wooden benches.

He took the time to himself to think about a few things.

After everything he and Tea had been through since they reacquainted, it had all come down to this.

Everything had finally come spilling out into the open and now they were actually on the verge of becoming romantically involved.

He would have never thought that something like this would happen between them.

Nevertheless, his feelings were real and he wanted her more than he ever wanted any another woman in his life before.

Yes the feeling was new to him and he wasn't quite sure what to expect but he had already come to terms with it.

His resolve was strong.

He was used to getting exactly what he wanted, why should now be any different?

Just then, before he could contemplate any further he saw Tea emerge from the back of the store followed by Kiki.

She was holding a large Blue Ritzy bag in her hands, looking shy and cute as she always did.

"Well Mr. Kaiba, your date has finally found the perfect outfit."

Kiki intervened before either of them could say anything.

Kaiba stood up, his eyes falling onto Tea's. They stared at each other as if they could read each other's minds.

"I trust you had no problem finding something suitable Mr Kaiba."

Kaiba tore his eyes away from Tea's to look at Kiki, a slightly annoyed expression falling over his face.

"I managed."

Kiki smiled brightly despite Kaiba's glum response.

"I'm so glad we could be of assistance to you two."

She watched happily as Tea walked over to where Kaiba was standing.

"And forgive me for being so forward but, I gotta say, you two make such a beautiful couple."

Tea's face burned bright red again.

Kaiba cleared his throat, looking caught off guard.

He recovered instantly, ignoring her comment.

"Just put everything on my Hotel bill."

"Of course Mr. Kaiba."

Kiki smiled brilliantly as she finally bid them farewell.

The security guard outside smiled politely at them as they made their way out through the glass doors.

As they stepped out into the open air of the mall, a number of curious eyes fell on them once again.

Tea avoided their piercing gazes as she followed closely behind Kaiba.

* * *

Finally they were back inside the shiny Rolls Royce Phantom.

They sat next to each other in silence as they drove through the urban district of the island.

She tried to steal a glimpse of Kaiba's Bag, wondering what he had chosen.

Just then he turned to look at her.

"So did you find something you actually like or did you just let that woman choose something for you?"

"…I actually chose this myself; I'm not used to having a personal stylist."

"Good, as long as you're comfortable it's fine with me."

Kaiba watched as she bit her lip, looking straight ahead and not at him.

"So, you hungry? cuz I sure as hell am."

She turned to look up at him.

She smiled.

"Actually you read my mind exactly."

Tea watched him as he ordered the driver to make a detour to the nearest upscale restaurant.

It was actually getting a lot easier to talk to him now. He was still the same old ill-tempered Kaiba but with an added hint of congeniality. A girl could get used to this side of him, no problem.

She blushed to herself as they continued to drive through the city.

* * *

After a few minutes, they finally turned into a rather cozy looking side street; with an assortment of rose bushes lining the side of the road.

The car came to a stop inside another parking lot.

The driver once again got out and opened the door for both of them to exit.

Tea followed Kaiba out of the vehicle.

The driver intervened politely.

'Here we are Mr Kaiba, the best daytime restaurant on the island. Please enjoy. "

Kaiba was rude once again. Not bothering to respond, he gestured for Tea to follow him as they walked along the empty sidewalk.

* * *

As they approached the building Tea noticed the well designed burgundy sign posted at the left of the entrance.

Lounge Café.

As she averted her eyes from the sign she noticed that a lot of the customers dinning outside were once again staring at them.

She sighed inwardly.

How the heck did Kaiba deal with this sort of attention everywhere he went?

She'd only been exposed to it for a short amount of time and already she was sick of it.

Then again, Kaiba wasn't exactly what you'd consider 'normal'

People's opinions obviously weren't important to him in the slightest.

It made perfect sense that he would be suited for this type of lifestyle.

They finally stepped into the restaurant; both of them hungry and eager to get some food into their stomachs.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later…

* * *

Outdoor patio dining area

* * *

Tea took a sip of her refreshing glass of ice cold lemonade. She wanted something simple and to the point. Once again, she and Kaiba both opted for the same dish. They had ordered two large servings of seafood salad.

Kaiba watched her as she took the first bite of her shrimp.

She was still avoiding his eyes but she looked like she was starting to feel a bit more comfortable in his company.

He waited for her eyes to catch his.

"So are you still nervous about tonight?"

She took another spoonful before answering.

"Well, I can't exactly say no, because the fact is…I'm a little mortified."

Kaiba appreciated the fact that she was being honest with him.

"Well like I said, there's no need to be…haven't you been to a night club before?"

"..Yea, but…"

"So what's the problem? It'll be just like any other time, the only difference will be the fact that you managed to score a date with me."

Tea smiled, willing herself not to turn red.

He was smirking and he couldn't have looked sexier.

She responded between her smiling.

"And of course the fact that there'll be a million cameras and TV crews there…"

She took a sip of her drink again before continuing.

"and all of them will be trying to catch a glimpse of us."

Kaiba shrugged as he took a spoonful of food.

"So? I must've missed the part where other people actually mattered."

Tea sighed as she continued eating.

He continued.

"Besides, the only other person you should be concerned about is me, or have you forgotten that this is actually a real date?"

Tea couldn't help blushing this time.

"..No, I haven't forgotten."

Kaiba reveled in the fact that he was making her squirm. He wasn't about to let her forget what his intentions were.

He took a sip of his drink.

"Good, as long as we understand each other."

Tea kept her head bent as she poked at her food on the plate feeling the butterflies filling her stomach. Why the hell did he have to be so intimidating all the time?

Just then before they could say another word to each other, Tea noticed that a young woman was glaring at them from across the patio. She was deliberately trying to make eye contact, as if she had spotted a mortal enemy.

Tea frowned as she stared at the young woman.

"Geez, how do you deal with this everyday? I can understand curious on lookers but that woman over there's glaring at me as if she wants to have me murdered."

Kaiba looked in the direction that Tea indicated.

Sure enough there was a young woman sitting alone at a table at the far corner of the patio. She was definitely glaring at them. As he looked at her she switched her attention from Tea over to him. As their eyes met, he suddenly realized that she looked strangely familiar. Her hair was tied into a bun and she was wearing a sun hat that was casting a shadow over most of her face but he definitely knew her from somewhere.

Tea noticed that he was still staring at the young woman.

"What's the matter? Do you know her or something?"

For some reason Kaiba felt a sinking in his gut as he saw the young woman rising from her seat. She was starting to walk over to them.

As she drew closer he suddenly remembered exactly who she was.

He sighed hopelessly as he looked at Tea once again.

"Unfortunately I do…"

Tea stared at him looking perplexed.

Only then did she notice that the young woman was actually approaching their table.

She gulped as she watched her come to a stop before them, daggers in her eyes as she folded her arms.

"Well if it isn't the king of jerks himself."

Kaiba continued eating as if no one was there.

He waited a while before responding.  
"Can I help you?"

The young woman looked insulted.

"How dare you ignore me Seto!"

Tea felt her stomach turn.

Did she just address him by his first name?

Kaiba sighed again, looking impatient.

His eyes met Tea's.

He knew she was probably wondering what was going on and he decided it best if he dissipated the situation as fast as he could.

"Look, you have no business here so just get over yourself and get out of my sight."

Tea cringed at the cold in Kaiba's voice and immediately started to put the pieces together.

The young woman scoffed.

"How typical, I see you haven't changed."

Tea stared down at her plate, feeling awkward.

Just what the hell was going on here? Could this woman actually be…an ex lover?

She stayed silent as she listened intently to their 'conversation'.

Kaiba blew out a breath of frustration.

"I'm not asking you again Krista, could you kindly remove yourself from my table before I get angry?"

She scoffed again but there was definitely a hint of hesitation in her voice as she responded.

"…Huh, fine, I'll get out of your hair…just wanted to say hi to your little date…"

She turned to Tea.

"Enjoy it while it lasts honey, it's over the minute he gets what he wants from you."

Her voice was dripping with venom, her eyes cold and scornful.

Tea stared back at her, feeling as if she had just been slapped extremely hard in the face.

Kaiba glared daggers at the young woman as she twirled on her heels and walked away before he could get the chance to say or do anything.

She seemed to have been disenchanted with them altogether as she marched out of the patio, not bothering to return to her seat.

Tea sat poking at her food with her fork again. She was deliberately avoiding any eye contact with Kaiba.

A think blanket of silence fell over the table.

Kaiba sighed inwardly, feeling the swell of anger in his chest slowly deflating as he looked at Tea.

What the hell was one of his ex's doing on the island anyway?

This was definitely something he wouldn't have predicted happening. He knew that Tea was probably wondering what the hell just happened.

He searched through his brain for something to say to explain himself.

Before he could find anything plausible however, to his surprise, he saw a smile spreading over Tea's lips. She finally looked up at him through curious eyes.

"..sooo….was that one of your ex girlfriends?…as if I had to ask."

Kaiba stared back at her, caught completely off guard by her reaction.

He decided that it was best if he simply gave her the answers she was looking for. He at least owed her that much.

"…something like that…."

Although she was disturbed and a bit offended by what the young woman said to her, Tea couldn't help the curiosity that was starting to eat her alive.

She decided that it was her turn to pry. It was only fair.

She watched him as he sipped his drink.

"So…when exactly did this happen, I mean, aren't you the very definition of a workaholic? I guess you do make time for girls."

"It's not what you think…. I met her at a dinner party one night…"

Tea listened attentively, not wanting to miss a single word.

This was the first time she had ever heard Kaiba talk about his personal life. He had always been like a mystery novel that had never been opened. She was glad to get the opportunity to find out more about his past.

She watched as he paused, looking like he was choosing his words carefully.

"..I thought that I would be compatible with someone who was just like me…"

He took a sip of his drink before continuing.

"Unfortunately, it turns out that I was wrong…she was a mistake that never should have happened."

Tea listened to every word feeling a sense of elation, finally being able to listen to him for a change. Despite that however, she couldn't help the singe of jealousy building up at the pit of her stomach.

But she decided that now wasn't the time to let petty emotions get the best of her. She ignored the feeling altogether as she responded.

"oh… I guess that's understandable….but…"

Kaiba watched her fumble to find the courage to continue. Somehow he knew exactly what was coming.

"…what exactly did she mean by what she said?"

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, as she nervously tried to find the words.

He decided to let her off the hook; it was pretty obvious what she wanted to ask.

"I didn't use her for sex, if that's what you're suggesting."

Tea felt her chest tighten as she felt his response crash through her.

"..no…that's… not what I meant, I was just curious."

Kaiba studied her expression before saying anything. He noticed that she was turning red in the face. She was obviously interested in his personal life. He watched her feeling amused.

He took a spoonful of food, allowing her time to re-gather her thoughts.

He knew there would be more questions to come and he would have no other choice but to swallow his apprehension to answer them, knowing that she deserved an explanation.

Finally, just as he predicted, she started again.

"So how long were you two an item?"

"Three weeks."

Tea frowned, looking astonished and amused at the same time.

"Three weeks?"

"Yea..I'm surprised she even lasted that long."

Tea couldn't help laughing.

Kaiba was glad she was taking this so lightly. Her laugh was like a refreshing breeze, blowing all the tension away.

"Then I guess from her point of view you did use her for sex."

"Her perception of it means nothing to me."

Tea took a sip of her drink, feeling butterflies fluttering about in her stomach again. Was she actually having a conversation about Kaiba's sex life? Why was that so hard to accept without turning red?

Tea felt the questions creeping into her head and she wasn't sure whether she should act on them.

After a few moments of deliberation she finally gathered enough courage.

She looked at him, causing him to look back.

"So…did you …actually…."

Kaiba knew what she was going to say without even thinking.

He decided to let her off the hook.

He intervened before she could finish.

"Yea….we did… once"

Tea felt the impact of his response.

She stared back at him.

"..Oh…ok…I see."

Kaiba knew how awkward the conversation must be for her. They were only starting to get to know each other, and already they had stumbled upon the issue of sex.

He continued nevertheless, knowing it couldn't be helped.

"I broke up with her, shortly after, which is why she thinks I only wanted her for one thing."

"Oh, well I guess you can't blame her for being bitter like that."

Kaiba took another spoonful of food.

"Maybe not, but you can blame her for being childish, self absorbed & uncaring brat."

Tea smiled.

"Funny who that sounds like."

He smiled back.

"There can only be one king of jerks, and that title's taken; otherwise there'd be a conflict of interests in my castle….and we can't have that, now can we."

'I guess not, your queen would have to be someone who's submissive and yet strong enough to stand by your side as an equal… am I right?"

"Looks like someone's been watching a bit too much Television lately."

Tea laughed again.

"Yea I know; I saw that on a late night talk show in my room the other night."

Kaiba smiled as he watched her laugh. She was such a joy to be around. He waited for her to recover before responding.

"…But you're right though… …that might be just what the doctor ordered..."

She stared back at him getting lost in his eyes again as he continued.

"…know where I can find someone like that?"

He kept his eyes glued to hers.

Tea felt his intimidation chewing away at her ability to keep calm again. She couldn't help blushing, knowing exactly what he meant.

"..well, maybe if you look hard enough, she might just come to you."

"She just might."

Tea noticed that his eyes were drilling into hers and there was something a little too suggestive in the expression on his face.

She pried her eyes away feeling intimidated.

She took another spoonful of salad, trying to buffer the moment.

Kaiba could sense her uneasiness but he knew she had gotten the point.

The fact that he wanted her all to himself was something he needed her to understand wholeheartedly.

And the sooner she came to terms with that the better.

They continued eating, conversing about whatever popped into their heads.

Tea smiled as she noticed how well their day had been going. Despite the little hiccup with his ex-girlfriend she'd have to say that she was actually having a good time... much more than she predicted she would.

She let her mind and body relax, soaking up the joy of Kaiba's company.

But the main attraction was still to come and she couldn't help feeling nauseated by thought of finally facing it.

Their first date was only a few hours away….and she had no idea what to expect.

She would have to come to a decision, and finally find the strength within herself to let go of the past and move on to something shiny and new.

She hoped with all of her heart that she was ready for the transition.

* * *

After a few minutes they had finally finished their meal, heading back to the car where their chauffeur was waiting patiently for their return.

They drove through the city, heading back to the Hotel in comfortable silence; both eagerly anticipating the events of the night to come.


	20. Heartbreak & Sunshine

Chapter Twenty:

Heartbreak & Sunshine

* * *

Ocean View Hotel

Tea's Room

Sunday 6:30pm

* * *

Tea stared at herself in the mirror, her mind in utter and complete disarray.

After an hour of getting herself ready, she had finally managed to throw everything together in the best way she knew how.

She bit her lip nervously as she adjusted her skirt.

For some reason she felt a great deal more confident about her outfit a few hours ago when she was back at the Blue Ritzy. Now, though, she wasn't so sure.

Would Kaiba approve of the way she was dressed?

This was literally their first official date, on a highly publicised night; an occasion to be remembered if anything else.

And as Kiki had made so charismatically clear, she needed to look the part.

She twisted her body to the side so that she could inspect every aspect of the dress.

All in all, everything seemed to have come together quite nicely.

She had chosen a short thin strapped black & white bandage dress with a round low neckline. The fabric seemed to hug her body exceptionally well, but not so much to cut off her circulation.

The dress was sexy and it was obviously made for the sole purpose of seduction.

For some reason the fact that it was made her anxious. The idea of seducing Seto Kaiba was a terrifying concept.

She made sure her hair was in place, having spent the last twenty minutes ironing it straight. She ran her fingers through it, satisfied with the way it swept past her shoulders.

She looked down at her shoes.

For her feet she had chosen a pair of black strap heels with suede rhinestone links that were surprisingly comfortable despite their complicated design.

In her opinion, they complimented the dress rather fittingly.

She stared at herself a bit longer, before finally granting the approval she was hoping for.

She managed a smile.

She walked across the bedroom, feeling eager to add the finishing touches.

The black velvet jewellery box was laid open atop the dresser in the corner.

She approached the necklace, slowly lifting it out of the velveteen cushioning.

Feeling a bout of excitement she clasped it around her neck.

Returning to the mirror she inspected her reflection again, another pleasing smile spreading across her lips as she adjusted the pendant in place.

Now her look was complete.

She looked at the clock on the wall, feeling her pulse quicken a bit. It was almost seven o'clock.

Time had flown by before she even knew what was happening.

Kaiba would be at her door any minute!

For some reason she felt a mini panic attack creeping up at the thought of facing him.

Just then, as if by some cruel coincidence, there was a prominent knock on her door.

She felt the rush of butterflies in her stomach as she tried to gather her courage.

There was no getting around this anymore. It was time to face the music!

Taking a deep calming breath she snatched her purse from the bed, gave herself a quick once over in the mirror and headed out into the living room.

Grabbing the keys from the table, she approached the door, willing herself to take control of her over-exaggerated emotions.

She paused, taking another deep breath.

Turning the knob slowly, she shyly pulled the door open.

To her surprise however, instead of a menacing Seto Kaiba standing before her, there was a beaming Mokuba standing in his place.

She peeked from behind the door, feeling self aware.

Mokuba smiled at her oblivious to her insecurities.

"Hey Tea."

"Um, Hi..."

She instinctively searched the hallway with her eyes.

"If you're looking for my brother, he told me to tell you to meet him downstairs."

"Oh."

She averted her attention back to Mokuba.

"He had to go collect the V-VIP tickets from the manager at the front desk. Apparently you two are on the special reserved listing; which basically means, you'll be treated like you own the place."

She smiled, amused at his choice of words.

She decided that stalling any further wasn't exactly fruitful. She braced herself for his reaction as she stepped out into the hallway.

Mokuba's eyes seem to pop out of their sockets as he saw her.

She stood in front of him with a nervous look on her face.

"Well...what do you think?"

Mokuba seemed speechless for a few seconds until finally finding his voice again.

"Um, if you're looking to give my brother a heart attack then, I think you made the right decision."

Tea couldn't help laughing.

"Really?"

She looked down at her outfit biting her lip nervously.

"..Um...But, that wasn't exactly my intention."

Mokuba smiled at her.

"Well all I can say is, that you've got nothing to worry about, besides, you don't have to do anything much to impress my brother anyway, he likes you too much already."

Tea couldn't help blushing.

"...I'll...keep that in mind."

Mokuba continued.

"Well you better not keep him waiting, he's downstairs."

Tea nodded feeling nervous again.

"Right."

With that said she closed the door behind her, gave Mokuba a warm good bye and started toward the elevator.

* * *

Ocean View Special Reserved Parking Lot

7:05pm

* * *

Kaiba was leaning against the limo, his arms folded, his expression sombre. No one would've been able to presume the thoughts filtering through his mind at that precise moment. For some reason he wasn't as calm and collected as he normally would be in a situation like this one. Then again, he'd never exactly been in a situation like this one, one major difference being the fact that this time he actually cared. He wanted his night with Tea to be an occasion she would remember or least not want to forget about any time soon. Unfortunately, he was no expert on the science of successful dates but he was nevertheless determined to do whatever it takes to make her forget about her troubles, even if only for one night.

The salty ocean air was surprisingly welcomed, and he allowed his mind to brood as the wind whipped through his hair.

He noticed that a few guests were staring at him as they passed by; mostly giggly females.

He assumed it was because they weren't used to seeing him dressed in such casual attire.

He had decided that going simple would prove to be the better choice. He opted on a black short sleeved D&G Armani T-shirt with a pair of slightly faded blue jeans, a silver buckled leather belt and brown Nike air force ones.

For some reason when it came to fashion, he always managed to hit the nail on the head every time with little to no effort at all, compliments being CEO of Kaiba Corp for the better half of his life.

He ignored the unwelcomed stares with ease; giving into aggravation would only prove to be useless.

He continued waiting patiently, anticipation practically driving him insane.

Just then, he felt his cell phone go off inside his pocket.

He irritable reached for it, knowing exactly who it was.

"This better be important!"

He listened half-heartedly to his subordinate prattle on about the details of his meeting that morning.

As he was about to respond however, he felt his voice catch in his throat as his eyes fell on something his mind could only decipher as stunning..

Suddenly everything else seemed insignificant and the only thing he could focus on was Tea as she emerged out of the hotel.

Tea spotted Kaiba waiting for her at the limo. She approached him feeling her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

He had his cell phone to his ear, but his eyes were focused on her indefinitely.

She couldn't help the sharp notion of inevitable doom building up inside her stomach.

Despite that however, her emotional meltdown didn't seem to prevent her from noticing how gorgeous he looked.

Hot, would be too much of an understatement to be considered fitting.

Somehow, black had a way of accentuating every feature and every outline of his perfectly chiselled, beautifully sculpted body. It was nerve racking simply to look him in the eye.

She slowly approached him nevertheless, trying to hold her butterflies at bay.

Kaiba couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her as she approached him. His conversation had somehow drifted away along with the breeze. He stood frozen for half a second longer until an annoyingly persistent voice yanked him back into reality.

"Um, Mr Kaiba? Are you still there sir?"

He blinked a few times to get the image from his head, turning his eyes the other way.

"...Yea, look, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now, you'll have to take a rain check. I'll call the office tomorrow. Have everything ready by then."

Tea managed to overhear the last part of his conversation as she watched him replace his phone into his pocket.

As he turned his attention back to her, Tea felt her face flush under the strain of his God-like gaze.

She smiled regardless.

"Hi."

She examined his expression as she waited for him to respond, hoping for a favourable reaction.

"Hey...so you made it."

"Yea, barely."

Kaiba could sense that she was nervous, not that he was expecting her not to be.

He wasn't exactly sure what he should say to her next. The fact that he was a cold hearted jerk was working against him in every way possible.

But he was fast on his feet.

"I thought being the centre of attention wasn't you're thing?"

Tea looked at him confused.

"It's...not."

"Then you should have worn a different outfit."

Tea couldn't help the heat spreading through her face. She assumed that was his way of complimenting her without actually saying it.

She blushed visibly, pulling her eyes away, wishing she could sprout wings and fly off to safety.

Unfortunately, she hadn't learned to tap into her mutant abilities just yet so she decided that acting normally would hide the fact that she was mortified.

"So did I disrupt your call just now?"

"No, actually you did me a favour."

She smiled again, silently admiring the way he looked again.

God, he was gorgeous!

She'd never seen him dressed so casual before.

She had to admit, it was something to behold!

She noticed that there were a number of guests, dressed for the occasion as well. She assumed that most of them were heading to the nightclub, shiny and high fashioned.

As usual, there were a number of girls glaring in her direction again. Although it still made her uncomfortable, she had become somewhat of an expert at ignoring the signal flares of hate shooting from their bodies.

"So are you ready?"

Tea nodded

"Yea, I think so."

"Okay, then let's get this date started."

Tea blushed again, wondering how she was going to survive the rest of the night.

* * *

Inside the limo was gorgeous, nothing short of expectation. Yet, the only thing she could wrap her mind around at the moment was the incredibly hot CEO sitting right next to her. She sat without saying anything, hoping that he would be the one to break the ice first. She was too much of a coward to be so bold.

Kaiba glanced at her as he yanked the V-Vip tickets from his jeans pocket. He read it aloud, pretending to be impressed.

"So this ticket means we get special treatment tonight...what a shocker."

Tea smiled as he handed her one.

She took it still feeling extremely edgy.

As if he read her mind, Kaiba continued to lead the conversation.

"So are you still nervous?"

She looked up at him for a second before looking away again.

"..Well, can't say that I'm not."

He felt her uncertainty and he wanted to say something to make her feel better. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable; he had to find a way to make her relax.

"So what exactly are you so nervous about? Is it the reporters or...is it me?"  
Tea felt his question smack her in the face.

She smiled.

"...I guess...I'd have to say...both."

"Well, I can probably shield you from the fury of the camera but...as for me, you'll have to take your chances."

"...Somehow that's not exactly comforting."

"Well I did warn you that I only drink blood on special occasions ...so consider yourself warned."

Tea couldn't help blushing again.

Ok, she needed to get a hold of herself and remember not to float away. She still needed to be cautious.

This was dangerous ground; she needed to be extra careful before she found herself falling without even realising it.

"By the way, the necklace looks good on you."

His compliment brought heat to her face once again.

She had to clear her throat before she could even respond.

"..Thanks."

She touched the pendant, as if to show him how much she liked it.

Kaiba found himself distracted. Noticing the pendant was making him notice a few other things too. Not that he was complaining or anything but did her dress have to be so damn...revealing?

He swallowed hard as he deliberately looked away.

Now was definitely not the time. He needed to steer his mind in more important directions.

He could feel the tension emanating from her body but he knew this was something they had to overcome. Their transition wouldn't be easy but he was determined to make it happen.

* * *

After a few minutes of driving through the city, they finally came to a halt at the small build up of traffic leading to the main entrance of the club.

Tea peered out the window as they slowly inched their way through the pile up of cars. Her heart was pounding as her eyes fell on the large illuminated building straight ahead of them overlooking the beach.

They were still a few car lengths away but she could make out the flashing neon sign with ease.

Club Salsa.

She saw a large group of people gathered at the front door all dressed in their best, dazzling the night away with casual royalty.

Tea gulped feeling the pressure building up again.

Would she be able to blend in? Or would she stand out like a sore thumb?

She clenched the edges of her purse, feeling the unwelcomed wave of anxiety washing over her.

Kaiba's voice broke her concentration on everything going on outside.

"Stop worrying already, I won't let anyone hassle you ok."

She willed herself not to turn pink as she nodded.

"Okay, I'll try."

As the limo finally pulled up to the main entrance there was an immediate unrest within the horde of reporters standing behind the crowd control barriers.

Before Tea even knew what was happening, the driver was already getting out of the limo, walking to the back and opening the door for them to exit.

Despite Kaiba's reassuring gaze she still couldn't help her pulse racing.

"Well, it's now or never."

Tea managed a weak smile as she watched him climb out of the limo.

She reluctantly followed close behind.

As she rose to her feet, she felt the eyes of everyone around them burning into her.

It was extremely bright with cameras flashing, people staring, shouting and exclaiming their astonishment about Kaiba actually showing up.

Apparently the mere fact that he had actually shown his face at an event like this one was a colossal deal, even more so that he didn't show up alone.

"Stay close to me."

Tea complied as she followed Kaiba's lead, staying as close as she could at his side.

She ignored the flashing of the cameras as they made their way toward the bottleneck of guests gathered at the front entrance.

It took every ounce of control in her to avoid making eye contact with anyone; especially since there were quite a few reporters shouting at them, desperately trying to find out who she was.

She nevertheless followed Kaiba's lead, trying to match his indifference; hoping no one saw through her obvious facade.

The crowd became denser as they made their way toward the doors.

As they slowly navigated through the multitude of guests, she felt Kaiba slip his arm around her waist pulling her closer to his side.

He looked down at her.

"Still there?"

Tea tried not to blush but failed miserably.

"Yea, I'm still here."

"Good, wouldn't want to lose you in transit."

She smiled.

The feel of his hand on her waist was distracting in the worst way. It was as if everything else had disappeared and the only thing she could set her focus on was the way his fingers felt against her body.

Kaiba kept his eyes on the entrance as they wove their way through. He kept his grip on Tea, his only goal being to get her inside without incident.

He noticed a group of reporters snapping pictures of them like crazy. He sighed inwardly, hoping the two of them didn't end up on the cover of some tabloid magazine somewhere.

After a few minutes of waiting they finally made their way to the front line.

The young man standing beside the two beefy looking bouncers spotted them immediately.

"Welcome, Welcome Mr Kaiba, so honoured to have you attend our grand opening night."

Kaiba simply rewarded his kindness with an impatient scowl.

"Yes, right, well let's not keep Mr Kaiba waiting."

He turned to the bouncers, gesturing for them to unclasp the barrier ropes.

Kaiba casually walked past them, handing over the V-VIP ticket as he did.

Tea timidly followed suit.

When they finally approached the doors, Tea felt a big chunk of her anxiety melt away. She glanced back at the huge crowd behind them. Reporters were still having a field day and there were still quite a number of them taking shots at her and Kaiba heading inside.

She sighed, wondering if this was just a day in the life of Seto Kaiba.

They both stopped at the door, Kaiba pausing to look at her.

"Better get ready, your date with Seto Kaiba begins as soon as we open these doors."

She smiled up at him ignoring the flood of emotions bursting out of her chest.

"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself, especially around guys who constantly refer to themselves in the first person."

Kaiba flashed a sexy crooked smile, sending her pulse into overdrive.

Without delay he pushed the doors open. At last they were able to step foot inside.

* * *

Club Salsa

Ground Floor

* * *

The first sensation to toggle Tea's senses was the pleasant aroma of fresh citrus that rushed past their faces along with the cool air conditioning.

As they stepped further inside her eyes adjusted to the soft light.

Immediately there was a feeling of elation in the air.

The ground floor was extremely large, surrounded on all sides by elegant walls of glass.

Illuminated artificial palm trees graced the halls with different variations of Caribbean decor tastefully distributed throughout the entire space.

Everything practically screamed exotic, without losing any night club appeal.

Whoever was responsible for the design, knew exactly what they were doing.

Tea marvelled at everything her eyes could make out in the semi lit atmosphere.

Directly ahead of them a handful of guests were beginning to assemble at the bar.

Kaiba surveyed their surroundings quickly.

Being as anti-social as he knew he was, he decided to let Tea decide their next move.

He looked down at her as they walked a little further inside.

"Well, we've got two choices; either we mingle or we don't."

Tea sighed hopelessly.

"And I take it mingling isn't really an option for you."

"Nope...but since it's an official date, I'll be nice just this once and let you decide."

There were still so many sides to Kaiba that she never knew existed.

She appreciated his kind gesture more than he realised.

But being selfish wasn't something she was especially good at.

She knew it wouldn't be right for her to make him uncomfortable.

She opted for something else instead.

"Well, I guess we can go to the VIP section first, there'll be less people there."

Kaiba agreed, not surprised by her decision; still thinking of everyone before herself.

Despite that however, he decided that going to the VIP section was actually just what they needed to settle in.

He scanned the building visually for any sign of their destination.

Finally he spotted the neatly engraved sign on the second floor, highlighting the way.

* * *

Tea followed Kaiba's lead through the ground floor passing curious guests lounging at tables and staring at them with obvious questions in their eyes.

She ignored them the best she could.

They made their way up the stairs and started toward the sign.

There was an arrow indicating that they were to turn left through a wide set hallway that seemed off limits to anyone who wasn't privileged enough to be VIP.

There was a security officer standing a few feet away from the sign, nodding at them approvingly as they passed by.

The hallway branched off into opposite directions, each leading to two private rooms on either side.

As they stopped at the intersection they were greeted by a young man who was dressed in a suit that made him look like he had stepped straight out of a mafia movie.

He approached them with a surprisingly wide smile on his face.

"Mr Kaiba, so glad you could make it tonight, Mike Hendrix, nice to meet you at last."

He offered his hand which Kaiba reluctantly shook out of formality.

"Please follow me to your Lounge."

Without delay he led them to the room on the left.

Slipping a pair of keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and stepped inside, gesturing for them to follow him.

Tea's eyes widened in astonishment as she stepped in behind them.

"Classy' wouldn't even begin to describe what she saw before her.

In the heart of the room was a miniature fountain bounded on all sides by neon flat lights, causing it to stand out against the dim ambience.

A large black Couch stood a few feet behind it, directly opposite a large HD display.

Various portraits of music legends of all generations adorned the walls and the floor was completely tiled in a lovely shade of sky blue and white coral.

There was even a jukebox and an entire shelf of CDs and A tracks at their disposal.

Everything was simply and utterly inviting.

It wouldn't be so much of a stretch to say nothing at all what she had been expecting.

The wall at the back of the room was made entirely of glass, which she assumed was tinted for privacy on the outside. The design was clever so as to allow the occupants of the room a full range view of the entire ground floor absent any and all obstructions of any kind.

Such intelligent handiwork; No wonder, a place like this was strictly exclusive to the highly privileged.

She smiled to herself, admiring everything around them, until the sound of the young man's voice broke into her dream state.

"This will be your private lounge for the remainder of the night Mr Kaiba."

In keeping with his unpleasant nature, Kaiba simply nodded without so much as a word, his face plastered with boredom and disenchantment.

Mr Hendrix took this as his signal to leave.

He smiled warmly at them, acknowledging Tea with a polite bow of his head.

"If there's anything you need, just buzz me at office one. The number listing is on the table."

Smiling once again he bid them an enjoyable stay and within a few moments he had left the room, leaving Tea with the heavy reality of being completely alone with Seto Kaiba once again.

She watched as he walked further into the room, inspecting their surroundings with unforgiving scrutiny.

"Well it isn't a total loss I guess."

Tea frowned in astonishment.

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful. I never even knew VIP rooms were this big of a deal."

"Actually, this is the best I've seen."

He walked over to the wall of glass, peering down at the guests below, looking disgusted at the sight of them.

"At least these rooms are sound proof so we don't have to listen to bad music."

Tea couldn't stop herself from noticing how sexy he looked standing there.

She suppressed the urge to blush as she stepped further inside.

For some reason, it had suddenly become a lot more frightening being in his company.

She approached the couch, sitting gently, ploughing through her brain to think of something to say to take away some of the tension she was feeling.

Kaiba could sense how nervous she was and he couldn't exactly blame her. This wasn't like any other time they'd been together, this time was different.

An official date meant so much more than regular acquaintances spending time together.

An official date meant that they were crossing the lines that separated them and this was the first time since the night they kissed that they had to face the reality of what was happening head on.

It would be awkward and difficult for her to deal with, he knew, but, what was done was done.

They had to face this now or never at all.

He pooled his thoughts together before heading over to where she was.

Sitting casually next to her, he paused, waiting for her to come to terms with reality.

Finally he spoke, his voice soft but direct.

"So are you still nervous?"

Tea felt her body going rigid, but she responded anyway.

"...a little."

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"No...It's nothing like that..."

She paused

"...It's just that I..."

"You're still trying to come to terms with this?"

He finished for her, knowing exactly what was going on inside her head.

She paused, looking at her hands in her lap.

"..Yea."

Kaiba breathed out heavily.

"Well, you better get used to me, cuz I'm not going anywhere, unless of course you ask me to...but I'm guessing you won't."

She couldn't help the blush this time.

He held her gaze, feeling the urge to kiss her again; unfortunately scaring her half to death wasn't exactly what he had in mind. After all they had only been there for less than ten minutes. The threat of coming on too strong stopped him from acting on impulse.

She spoke through her apprehension.

"Would I be overstepping my boundaries by being honest with you?"

"Not at all."

"Then I guess you're right..."

She had no idea where she was finding the courage but she clung to it desperately so she could go on.

"...I've gotten used to the way you stick your nose into every aspect of my personal life."

She smiled as the words fell from her lips.

He was grateful for her truth s he smiled back at her in amusement.

"Then I guess everything's as it should be, being obnoxious is what I do best."

Tea smiled again feeling her body relax a bit more.

"No arguing there."

They stared at each other, both feeling the deeper meaning in their words.

Deciding to loosen up the moment he reclined onto the couch.

"Alright then, let's see what this VIP room has to offer."

He reached for the remote sitting on the table in front of them.

He switched the display on.

Immediately the sound of R&B music filled the room, the music video already in progress.

As a dancer in the past, she was required to familiarise herself with all types of music, so naturally she recognised the song right away.

Christina Millian ' Whatever you want'.

She reclined alongside him, glad to see a song she was familiar with.

Kaiba of course frowned with repugnance.

"What the hell is this?"

"It's just a music video."

"Yeah, I can see that but don't they have anything good on?"

"Well it is an upscale nightclub; I doubt rock and heavy metal would suit their theme very well."

Once again he was amused at her assumptions about him.

"And who told you I like rock & heavy metal?"

"No one, you just seem like the type."

He scoffed.

"Lucky guess."

Tea smiled feeling smug, glad that her assumption turned out to be right this time.

Sure enough he continued searching through the channels.

They spent the next few minutes glancing at music videos and bad TV.

"So Is it time for your daily dose of alcohol yet?"

"Is that your twisted way of offering to get me a drink?"

"Maybe."

Tea sighed.

"Well I guess I am kinda thirsty, sure."

Kaiba rose from his seat and started toward the mini bar.

He rummaged through bottles of chilled alcoholic drinks, until he found something appropriate.

As he poured some of the contents into a glass of ice, to his surprise Tea had risen from her seat, walking to the large wall of glass overlooking the ground floor.

He stole a glance at her as he continued.

She was touching the glass and peering down at the people below as if lost in endless thought.

After a few moments he approached her, offering her the drink which she took with a smile.

"I can't believe how beautiful this place is."

She was still peering down through the glass.

"It's just a fancy nightclub, nothing to get all dreamy about."

"I know but I was referring to the entire island...it's like everything here is...perfect."

Suddenly her expression changed slightly as she peered through the glass again.

"..It's so different...to my life back in the city."

Kaiba noticed the haunting sadness in her eyes as she spoke to him.

He breathed out heavily as he stared down at the mass of guests alongside her.

"No body's life is perfect Tea."

She smiled.

"Yea? Well some of us are farther from it than others."

He could practically feel the bitterness emanating from her voice. He racked his brain for something that could possibly pry her mind away.

The music downstairs was just now starting to crank up. He could feel the vibrations of the base under his feet.

He couldn't and wouldn't allow her to feel this way...not tonight.

He sighed.

"I guess we've got no choice then."

She looked at him perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's go downstairs."

"What? Why?"

"You need a change of scenery."

Tea was confused, but she decided not to dispute. Kaiba's will was wielded in hot iron and it was futile to try to bend it, that much she knew.

She sighed in defeat.

"Okay, if that's what you want."

* * *

The ground floor was just now starting to fill with people.

Tea noticed that it wasn't as jam packed as a regular night club so following Kaiba through the scattered crowd was fairly easy.

The music was loud but pleasing to the ear and the lavender scent was just starting to blend into the heady smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

Kaiba guided them to the bar where astonishingly only a handful of people were gathered.

Tea noticed the complementary 'I want to murder you' glances from female guests as they passed by, all of them cursing her existence for being on the arm of Seto Kaiba.

She was suddenly startled by Kaiba's voice in her ear, instantly stealing her attention away.

"Are you fine with that, or do you want something else?"

His voice was raspy and seductively clear, whispered so closely.

She forced herself to recover.

Over the loud music she had no other choice but to turn to his ear as well.

"No I'm fine."

She had almost forgotten the glass in her hand which she had taken with her from upstairs.

She watched as Kaiba ordered a non-alcoholic beverage for himself.

After he had collected his drink, Tea followed his lead again, as they started toward a cozy corner where there were less people. They made themselves comfortable, sitting close enough to hear each other over the booming music.

"So is this any better?"

She smiled.

"You mean if I'm any less nervous now that I'm surrounded by more people who happened to be staring at us?"

"That would be a problem, if they were the ones making you nervous, but we both know that's not true is it."

The unwavering confidence in his voice made her want to flinch.

But she stood her ground, stirring the ice in her glass with her fingers.

Kaiba didn't wait for her to respond. Instead he kept his eyes focussed on hers.

"So now that we're here, your attention won't be so focussed on how intimidating I am."

"Hmm, ever heard of modesty? You might want to look that up sometime."

"Why would I? Not being modest is part of my obvious charm."

She couldn't help blushing knowing he was right.

She took a small sip of her drink; thinking maybe a swig of alcohol would cool her raging anxiety.

She could smell his intoxicating cologne even over the smell of everything else and it made her too aware of how close he was.

This was hard, getting used to him was way too difficult. But something inside her was drawn to him and it told her to hang in there.

"So is it time for us to make out yet?"

His words sliced into her moment of contemplation like a hot knife through butter. Her heart went off into over drive as she blushed again, avoiding his eyes altogether.

"What? But,I...don't..."

Kaiba smirked smugly.

"Knew that would get your attention."

That didn't help her in the least.

"Relax, I was only kidding."

She forced a smile, taking another fast sip and replacing the glass a little harder on the table than she intended.

"...I knew that."

Kaiba took a first sip as well.

"Sure you did."

Despite his relentless attack on her ability to stay calm, for some reason his 'kidding around' made her feel a whole lot better; although the prospect of making out with him wasn't exactly what you'd call unappealing.

Forcing herself to get a grip, she decided to dispose of some of the tension in her body. She wanted to enjoy her time with him and she couldn't do that if she was mortified.

She smiled, warming up to his company.

They sat together, drinking and talking, slowly slipping into a brand new comfort zone of their own creation. They soon forgot about the peering eyes all around them, letting their conversation drive everything else away as the night drifted by.

"Oh my God, outside looks so beautiful."

She gestured beyond the glass walls, toward the deck outside, overlooking the beach. Even from where they sat they could catch a glimpse of the ocean in the distance, with the moon shimmering above it.

The effect was surprisingly pleasing to the eye, even to someone as unyielding as him.

She stared at the view with dreamy clouds swimming through her eyes.

Kaiba acted on his chance, wanting nothing more than to keep her smiling the way she was at that moment for as long as he could.

"You know, if you wanna go outside, you could just ask me."

He rose from his seat.

She followed his lead gladly.

* * *

The wind outside was cold, yet comforting.

The sound of the waves crashing against the sand below them and the smell of the salty ocean air was a welcomed change of pace.

They could still hear the faint music, booming behind them, back inside and it made them appreciate the contrasting peacefulness.

A few couples and people simply taking in the fresh air were scattered throughout the large veranda, also enjoying the magnificent view laid out before them like a painting.

Tea wrapped her fingers around the smooth teak barrier, marvelling at how beautiful everything was.

Kaiba stood beside her, more engrossed in other things.

When she was happy, somehow it lifted his otherwise lacklustre spirits.

She still hadn't given him an official 'yes' or 'no' yet but patience was on his side.

Pressuring her into a decision wasn't something he wanted to do. He needed her to make up her own mind about him. After that he would take it from there.

Tea felt a sort of freedom swelling in her chest as she let the wind caress her face.

She turned to Kaiba who was staring out at the ocean as though he was thinking about something important. He was as beautiful and heavenly as ever.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How I'm going to take over the world."

She smiled.

"Why would you want to do that? You already have everything you'll ever want."

"Not everything."

They stayed locked in stares for a few seconds longer until Tea pried her eyes away.

"You know...you're...nothing like what I pictured you to be a few years ago."

"Yeah, I think we already established that you thought I was the devil incarnate."

She laughed.

"No, I'm serious, you really surprised me...you're like, the nicest jerk I've ever met...if that even makes sense."

He couldn't hide his amusement.

"Well you're the most miserable cheerleader I ever met so I guess it does."

She laughed again, trying with all her might not to blush in embarrassment.

Before either of them could say anything else however, a light buzzing noise stole into the moment.

Kaiba watched as she slipped her cellphone out of her purse.

She glanced at the screen, before meeting Kaiba's gaze.

She didn't say anything, looking at him expectantly for a reaction.

"You gonna answer him this time?"

She let her hand drop to her side, sighing as she pushed the cancel button with her thumb. She replaced the phone, a weary expression on her face.

"No, I'm not."

" You don't need my permission to talk to him you know."

"I know, but I just...don't want to hear his voice."

Kaiba paused before going on.

"Is it okay if I ask you something?"

Tea saw the inquisition in his eyes, the seriousness in his expression more than a little intimidating.

"...Are you still in love with him?"

His question was nerve racking but expected.

She looked at the black ocean, the wind gently rustling through her hair.

"...I...honestly, don't even know anymore..."

She paused, pondering her own words.

"But I know that, no matter how much I try to hate him...I can't."

Kaiba listened intently, feeling the heaviness of her confession weighing down on him.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he peered out at the starry sky.

"Well I guess that's to be expected, it would be hard to let go of your feelings so easily."

"I wonder what that says about me. Even after all this time...I actually still...care about him."

"I guess it just means that you're capable of loving someone unconditionally."

His words touched something inside her and for some reason she felt a pang of guilt in her heart for telling him the truth about how she felt.

Her words lay heavy on him but he had prepared himself for it. He nevertheless said what was on his mind, disregarding his own feelings.

"But you have to find a way to move on, you can't keep letting his memory hurt you like this...you deserve better."

Tea knew he was right and she hated that she hadn't been able to muster the courage to do what she needed to.

"...And I think you already know what my intentions are."

Her pulse sped up.

She knew exactly what they were and the thought was over whelming.

"Are you really okay with this? I mean, it's like we belong to two entirely different worlds."

"Is that what you think? That I'm the Prince and you're the commoner?"

Somehow him saying it like that made her feel silly.

"Well something like that."

He couldn't help smiling to himself.

"You really are hopeless."

She smiled too.

"Yeah I am aren't I, but I can't help it...we are what we are."

Just then the volume of the music behind them decreased; A dj's voice filling the void.

"...and now it's time to slow the pace guys, so grab that special somebody and hold on tight..."

They both turned to look in the direction of the dance floor which was clearly visible through the glass wall behind them.

The guests were falling into place, everyone pairing off, as an entirely different mood started to fill room.

A new song replaced the silence, slow and beautiful.

'Connect the Dots' by The Spill Canvas.

She didn't dare look at Kaiba. Instead she nervously turned to look at the ocean again.

Kaiba saw her reaction and knew exactly what was running through her mind.

"You don't believe that my feelings for you are real? Then let me prove it."

He held his hand out to her, waiting for her to accept his offer.

She gazed up at him, her eyes glistening in the moonlight.

Her body felt frozen but she managed to smile.

She didn't say a word; she knew she didn't have to.

She put her hand in his.

He smiled back, glad that she understood.

* * *

Tea kept her head bent so as to avoid eye contact with anyone.

She followed Kaiba's lead to the middle of the dance floor, where everyone instinctively moved aside, clearing a spot for them.

She felt the weight of everyone's gaze and her face burned with heat.

When Kaiba turned to look at her, she was flushed.

He stared into her eyes as he placed her both hands around his neck and both of his around her waist.

Her eyes were glistening with apprehension and uncertainty. She spoke softly so only he could hear her.

"Everyone's staring at us."

"Good, let them to see, I want everyone to see what you are to me."

Her heart felt like it would burst with all the emotion swelling inside it. She gazed into his beautiful deep blue eyes, trying to remember how to breathe.

"I know I don't need to ask you if you know how to slow dance."

She managed a smile.

"No"

"Then dance with me."

His voice was a raspy whisper, sending shivers through her entire body.

She closed her eyes, letting the music take control the way she did before when dancing was her light.

They glided with the song, forgetting everything and everyone around them each supporting the other..

Their movements were as one and their advanced choreography dazzled the other guests, so much so that they were the centre of attention.

Every turn, twirl and embrace was smooth and graceful as if they'd danced together a thousand times before.

Tea felt her heart soaring as if she had been given the chance to spread her wings again.

Kaiba had unknowingly given something back to her, something that was so precious and irreplaceable.

She stared up into his eyes as they slowed down again, infatuated with him, ignoring the swirl of people around them.

He saw her emotion and it resonated into him.

She felt his broad hand splayed against her back

He leaned closer so that his lips were nearly brushing her ear, whispering to her.

"Don't say no to me Tea."

Without needing another word, she knew exactly what he wanted.

She closed her eyes, surrendering everything.

Her willingness ignited a new fire in his chest and he needed her more than air itself.

He slowly lowered his mouth to hers, his lips laced with unmatched desire.

His kiss was overpowering and she felt giddy enough to loose her footing. But his iron grip held her to him, keeping her grounded in his strong embrace.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she was vaguely aware of where they were, but at that moment she didn't care.

She kissed him back, meeting his irresistible passion.

Every fibre in Kaiba's body yearned for her and he found himself unable to stop.

They kissed each other as the music played, everyone around them staring in astonishment.

The moment was intense and beautiful lingering on for what seemed like eternity.

Everything else was far away, shrinking into non existence, all that remained being the way they felt.

Warm and fulfilled by each other's touch.

Finally, reluctantly, Kaiba found the strength inside him to let her go, releasing her from his kiss.

Tea gazed up at him, her heart still racing.

She was being overwhelmed. How was he capable of making her feel this way? When he touched her, when he kissed her...when she was in his arms she couldn't contain herself.

It scared her.

What was happening? It was so beautiful, but it was all so fast. She couldn't think straight anymore.

She slowly let go of him, her eyes intent on his.

Kaiba sensed the panic in her body. He stayed silent, assessing her and giving her space to recover.

But before he could do anything else, she was stepping away.

"I...I'm sorry."

She whispered, stepping back further then turning away from him. She started walking swiftly off the dance floor.

Kaiba stared after her, taken by surprise.

He caught up to her when he realised what was happening, gently gabbing her by her arm.

"What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy.

"I'm sorry; I just need some time to think."

When he didn't let go of her, she tried again.

"Please."

Her expression was laced with worry and doubt.

Despite his reluctance he let go of her arm, knowing it wouldn't be fair for him to stop her.

He watched as she made her way toward the hallway ahead of them, leading to the women's bathroom.

He swallowed hard as he watched her disappear around the corner.

A few people were still staring, but he couldn't care less. All he could think about was Tea.

If she needed space to think, then he would give it to her without hesitation.

* * *

Tea stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Surprisingly, the bathroom was empty and the only person she could focus on was herself.

Why did she runaway from him just now?

Was it really that hard to move on with her life?

She ran her fingers over the butterfly pendant resting against her chest.

Kaiba was serious about her and here she was being a coward.

She had to come to terms with this.

She had to come to terms with the fact that what they both were feeling was real.

It was finally time to let go and make a decision.

Just then before she could have a chance to ponder the matter any further, the bathroom door flung open behind her.

Tea looked up, only to see the reflection of the last person in the world she expected or wanted to see.

She stood frozen.

It was Kaiba's ex girlfriend. Her name rang through her memory like sand paper, rough and painful.

Krista.

She remembered the way she looked at her back at the restaurant that morning and the hate hadn't disappeared from her eyes, in fact it was considerably worse.

This time she wasn't alone, she was accompanied by three other girls, who were glaring at her with equal disdain.

She needed to get out of there, and fast.

She pretended to wash her hands, hoping that they would leave her be and not say anything.

Her hopes were quickly diminished however as Krista, who seemed to be the leader of the pack, pounced first.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?"

Tea turned to look at them.

She responded in a small voice, not wanting to aggravate them any further. She didn't need any unwanted trouble.

"Excuse me?"

They approached her, their eyes bolted to hers.

"Don't try to act all innocent! We all saw your disgusting attempt to seduce Seto Kaiba on the dance floor, how pathetic!"

She folded her arms glaring at Tea.

Back at the restaurant, Tea hadn't gotten a chance to see her as plainly as she did now.

She was gorgeous, almost to the point of being intimidating; Kaiba's match in every form of the word.

The other girls spread out around her on all sides.

Tea felt their heavy hate filled eyes digging into her flesh.

They were like birds of prey circling their victim, ready to rip her to shreds.

As unnerving as it was, she nevertheless stood her ground staring up at Krista, who was almost as tall a Kaiba.

She felt the cold sink pressing into her back as she instinctively stepped back.

"Do you honestly think Seto Kaiba gives a damn about you? He doesn't care about anyone but himself! What makes you so special?"

She spat her venom, looking sickened.

Another one of the girls spoke behind her, glaring at her reflection in the mirror.

"I sure as hell can't see why he would even waste his time on someone like her."

They laughed, sardonic and cruel.

Tea swallowed the lump at the back of her throat, trying to summon enough courage to defend herself.

She was outnumbered and out matched but she couldn't surrender without a struggle, it wasn't in her nature.

"...My relationship with Kaiba is none of your business!"

Her eyes were intent upon Krista's.

Tea noticed her expression transform.

"Your relationship?"

She scoffed.

"You really do think you're something special, that's so pathetic I feel like I'm gonna vomit."

She stepped in closer.

"I really hate girls who don't know their place."

Tea felt the intimidation and it made her want to retreat, but once again, her nature would have none of it.

For a while they simply stared at each other, forgetting the others. It was like a battle between the two of them; a personal vendetta.

Then finally Krista stepped back, her eyes dropping to Tea's necklace.

She twisted the tone of her voice so that it sounded pretentiously sweet.

"Oh my God! What a beautiful necklace!"

She reached forward.

"Don't you dare touch it!"

Tea jerked away as if she had been exposed to something rotten.

Krista smiled knowingly as she narrowed her almond shaped green eyes.

"Hmm, girls I think I hit a sensitive spot."

She stepped in even closer, causing Tea to move back, unfortunately she was cornered.

"Was it a gift? A precious gift to show you how much he cares?"

Her voice was cold and piercing, mocking her.

Tea watched as she stepped in even closer, smiling an evil smile.

By now Tea had lost most of her calm.

She clutched the pendant, wishing she could somehow escape their torment.

"What's the matter? Can't I have a look at it? It's so pretty, don't be so selfish."

Tea felt anger mixing in with her desperation.

She responded without even thinking.

"It's not my fault he got rid of you! If you want someone to blame, try looking in the mirror!"

There was a strained silence as each of the girls stared in astonishment, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Krista froze on spot, her eyes glued to Tea's as if she saw something out of this world; the shock in her expression as clear as a cloudless sky.

Tea felt the worry building inside her chest as she tore her eyes away, unable to hold her gaze. She immediately regretted her retaliation.

"What did you just say to me?"

None of the other girls dared say anything as they all turned into spectators, waiting for their leader's reaction.

"How dare you talk to me like that!"

Krista walked over to her, glaring at her angrily.

"I'll teach you to keep your mouth shut you little opportunist!"

Before Tea knew what was happening, she saw Krista reach forward, her hand closing around her own hand that was clutching the pendant.

"No stop!"

There wasn't even time to react. It all happened so sudden.

With her both hands, Krista managed to grab the chain, and with a sharp tug, she ripped it violently off Tea's neck.

Tea saw the necklace falling to pieces as if in slow motion; the Rhine stones falling to floor, scattering like tiny marbles across the tiles.

She felt as if time had somehow stopped. She heard her pulse racing in her ear, feeling helpless.

Tears had begun to sting the backs of her eyes, but she wouldn't let them escape.

She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Her voice seemed to have been lost as she looked up at Krista, who was staring back with a smug triumphant grin on her face.

"Humph, there, now maybe you'll get it. That necklace means nothing, just like your 'relationship' with Seto Kaiba. A girl like you would never be worthy of him! So come back down to earth and scurry on back to your own kind you pathetic slut! You don't belong in our world!"

Tea felt her words drilling a hole in her heart.

She couldn't hold their gazes any longer. She kept her eyes averted, staring instead at the shattered necklace lying in pieces on the floor..

They all giggled mockingly as they made their way back to the door.

"Come on girls, let's go, I think she got the message."

And within moments they were gone, disappearing as suddenly as they came, leaving Tea alone once again.

For a second she couldn't seem to move her body. All she could see was the broken pendant on the floor.

She knelt before it, her eyes welling up with tears.

She gently picked up the pieces, as if they would dissolve in her hands if she wasn't too careful.

Krista's words resonated in her mind, over and over like a horrible song she couldn't forget.

"You don't belong in our world"

Her tears finally overflowed, falling to the ground, reminding her not to forget.

Everything, all of this, everything here was just a delusion, a false notion of a paradise that could never really be hers.

She had lost her grip on reality.

She sobbed on the floor, still clutching the shattered pieces of the necklace tightly between her fingers.

After a few moments she slowly rose to her feet. She stared at her face, wet with tears and over ridden with frustration.

She opened the tap and let the water flow into her hands, washing her face, not caring about her makeup.

How was she going to face Kaiba?

In her current state of mind she didn't feel much like seeing anyone. In fact at that moment she wished she could've simply disappeared altogether.

* * *

Kaiba sat alone at the bar, ignoring the unwanted attention he was attracting from everyone around him. He took a lazy sip of his drink, his mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Tea.

He recalled the way she felt when he held her on the dancefloor.

The way the music carried them and the way she gazed into his eyes as she let him guide her.

Everything about it was memorable, but none more so than the way she responded to his kiss.

He had purposely kissed her. He wanted her to realise that he cared for her and he didn't give a damn about anyone else's opinion of them.

But he hadn't anticipated her reaction.

She had acted as though she were scared of him.

It had been a little more than fifteen minutes since she had fled into the bathroom.

By now he was starting to get a bit worried but he decided that he was just being paranoid.

'They don't know' by Jon B filled the room, with couples still dancing to the soothing music.

As he sat taking another sip of his drink he managed to spot Tea emerging from the hallway.

He drained the last of it as he rose from his seat to meet up with her.

As he made his way through the crowd, getting closer, he noticed that her head was bent and she seemed withdrawn and on edge.

His concern grew as he drew even nearer.

He approached her trying to read her expression which was shrouded in shadows casted by the dim coloured lights.

"Hey."

Tea didn't look up. She continued staring at the floor.

By now Kaiba was certain, something was wrong.

"Tea, what's the matter?"

After a short spell of silence she finally looked up at him.

Even with the lighting he could see that she had been crying.

She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. He noticed that more tears were starting to well up in her eyes again.

He frowned, deeply concerned.

"What's wrong did something happen to you?"  
When she didn't respond he decided to take matters in to his own hands.

He had to get her somewhere where they could be alone.

Taking her back to the VIP room would probably be the best option. He gently took her by the hand and led her upstairs.

* * *

Kaiba closed the door behind them.

Tea was reluctant to say anything as they walked further into the room.

"Tell me what happened."

She let go of his hand and started to turn away.

"Nothing ok."

Kaiba would have none of it.

He stopped her, gripping her by her upper arms, forcing her to turn and face him.

"Stop running away from me and tell me what happened."

Tea heard the urgency in his voice and she knew she couldn't lie to him.

She gazed into his intent blue eyes again, her breathing laboured with emotion.

Pushing everything aside she told him everything.

When she was finished she unclenched her fist, showing him the shattered remains of the necklace he had bought for her.

For a moment Kaiba couldn't seem to find the right words to say. All he could focus on was the anger growing in his chest.

But looking at Tea's helpless expression diminished his thoughts of revenge, if only for the time being.

How could he think of anything other than being there to comfort her?

He saw the tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.

He pulled her into his embrace, gently stroking her hair.

"It's okay now, forget about them."

She buried her face into his shirt, sobbing and feeling hateful toward herself, letting the shattered necklace fall to the floor.

How could she have made such a terrible mess of what was supposed to be a memorable night?

Why was she always so vulnerable to feeling this way?

Kaiba felt her body tremble against his, as she cried.

He felt a swell of anger so strong toward Krista that it surprised him.

Tea didn't deserve to be treated this way. Yet sorrow seemed to be the only thing life knew how to throw at her.

He let her cry, hating the fact that he couldn't be there to protect her.

After a short while he felt her pushing away.

"But...she was right wasn't she."

She let go of him, stepping away, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"She was right about me not belonging here."

"Do you honestly believe that? Do you really think my world is so different from yours?"

Kaiba looked at her intently

She seemed too on edge to listen to anything he had to say. She shook her head, still sobbing.

She hugged her arms as if she were cold.

"I don't care anymore, I've only been fooling myself! Stop making me think...that I can be happy."

Kaiba noticed that she was becoming hysterical.

Her words cut through him. He couldn't let her fall away, if she fell too far he might not be able to reach her again. How could he make her see, how could he make her understand how he felt?

"Tea..."

"No, please don't say anything; I don't want to hear you say anything else."

She turned away, as if she didn't want him to see her cry anymore.

She stepped in closer to the glass wall, peering down at the ground floor through watery blurry eyes; seeing everything like a collage of shimmering colour.

She closed her eyes, hating everything.

Why?

Why was she always giving into weakness?

God, she hated this, she hated it so much!

Tears rolled down her cheeks relentlessly.

She wanted to run away, she needed to get away from there.

But before she could give into any more desperation, the feel of Kaiba's powerful arms enveloping her made her breath catch in her throat.

He caged her in his embrace, keeping her back grounded to him, so that they wouldn't have to look each other in the eye.

He stood behind her, strong and reassuring, his arms around her, keeping her grounded and safe.

For some reason, the feel of his warm strong body against hers soothed her, calming her to point of control again.

"Stop Tea"

His voice emanated in her ear and despite her sobbing, she felt it sending thrills rippling through her entire body.

"You're not the only one who had to suffer the loss of a mother and father."

His statement caught her off guard. She sucked in a breath feeling taken by surprise.

"Everyone has to go through hardship, and the only reason I am where I am today is because I never once let this rotten unforgiving world get the better of me."

His words were like a cold dagger, piercing her sub conscious.

"So despite what you think, our worlds are the same."

Her eyes were wide with astonishment. Her heart felt like it was being covered with something overwhelming.

Kaiba felt her body relax slightly, keeping his grip on her as sturdy and supportive as he could; hoping he had somehow gotten through to her.

"...I'm so sorry..."

When she spoke her words were soft and laden with hurt.

"...I didn't mean to make you say those things, I'm so selfish."

He let go of her, gently turning her around to face him.

"You're not..."

Her eyes were damp with tears and she couldn't have looked more beautiful as she stared up at him.

"...You couldn't be, even if you tried."

Tea's heart was pounding, and emotion swept over her like an ocean.

She stared into Kaiba's deep alluring eyes, feeling like she would inevitably drown in them.

"Forget everyone and everything else Tea and tell me what you really want."

His demand for the truth, hit her like a thousand bricks to the gut.

Her voice was trapped inside her fear but she had no other choice but to let it out.

She knew what she wanted, she knew inside her heart and everything inside her willed her to be brave at last.

"I...I'm so tired of running away..."

He could sense her yearning even before she spoke. He leaned in closer, his lips almost touching hers.

"..So tell me."

She was overcome with fear and uncertainty but she couldn't seem to stop her own body.

She touched his face, drawing herself closer him, feeling him wrapping his arms around her holding her tighter,

She whispered ever so sensual.

"...Make me yours Kaiba."

Her words were filled with all that she felt for him and they pierced him deep, awakening all of his hidden desire.

He tightened his grip on her pulling her closer cornering her against the glass wall behind them, whispering against her lips

"You're already mine baby"

The sincerity in his voice made her heart skip a beat, feeling her doubt slipping away.

He brought his mouth down onto hers, kissing her hard forcing her to respond.

He felt her, slip her arms around his neck, their bodies pressed together.

She responded to his kisses with much more fervour than he expected, weaving her fingers through his hair, matching his own desire.

He wanted her, and now she was finally his and no one else's. He would shield her from all her heart ache and protect her whatever the cost.

He revelled in the taste of her, cupping her face and letting his yearning take control.

Tea felt her entire body heating up as she gave in to her longing.

At this moment, she was safe and she was where her heart wanted her to be.

She had finally summoned the strength to start over and she was grateful she had been given the chance.

She let herself be swept away by Kaiba's kiss and his powerful touch, forgetting everything and everyone, ready to trust her heart again.

Their new found feelings for each other would carry them through to wherever they needed to be.

She held onto him, wishing that they could stay like that forever, surrendering herself to him, and knowing that finally after all of her heartache and tears, they belonged to each other at last.


	21. Looking Glass

Chapter Twenty One:

Looking Glass

* * *

The drive back to the hotel was quiet and somewhat restful.

Kaiba had let the glass down so that the cool ocean air could pacify them further.

Tea was leaning against him, his arm around her shoulder.

He looked down at her, knowing she was still upset about her run in with Krista that night.

After she broke down in his arms a few minutes ago he had decided it best for them to cut their date short and head back to the hotel.

He closed his hand around hers, causing her to look at him.

"You okay?"

She smiled at him, despite the sickly feeling in her stomach, her cheeks rosy red.

She nodded without saying anything, looking at him with eyes that reflected the way she felt.

He stared back, her gaze captivating him, making him glad they had finally transitioned into something more.

Tea managed to find courage beyond her bashfulness, daring to cuddle closer to him; his hold on her tightening as a result.

She spoke in a small voice.

"I'm sorry I messed up our date."

"You didn't, what happened back there, none of it was your fault."

She smiled half-heartedly, not entirely convinced.

He saw her touch her bare neck where the butterfly necklace would've been if it hadn't been so ruthlessly torn away.

The anger he felt toward Krista hadn't diminished but he knew outside of having her anonymously assassinated, there wasn't much he could do.

All he could probably hope for was the chance to bump into her again; then he could give her a little reminder as to who she was dealing with, in case she had somehow forgotten.

Until then, he would just have to push the unfortunate ordeal under the rug for the time being.

For now he had bigger fish to fry.

Being there for Tea was ultimately more important than getting revenge.

"Don't worry about the necklace okay, it's not like I can't get you another one."

She smiled again, still looking guilt ridden.

"No, it's fine, you don't have to do that…I just...wish things could've turned out differently that's all."

"It didn't turn out that bad, you finally realized you can't resist me."

She blushed.

Instantly, the moment they shared a few moments ago back at the VIP lounge, gushed into her memory all at once.

But before she could sink any deeper into her thoughts, she felt him drawing her closer, soothing her and trying to make her as comfortable as he could.

She smiled; her face glowing even more than it did before.

Her heart was still heavy from all of her crying a few moments ago but it wasn't enough to stop the thrills shooting through her entire body when he touched her. She struggled to contain herself and not let her emotions overwhelm her.

Having spent so much time with her recently, Kaiba was able to read her expression with ease. She was trying hard to keep her feelings bottled away so that he couldn't see them, a tactic she'd developed to protect her heart from impending danger no doubt. But he didn't need a response in words; he could already see everything he needed to see in her eyes.

He adjusted himself so that he could see her face, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her face.

"…Are you sure you want this?"

She felt her heart thud in her chest, taken by surprise by his directness once again.

She forced herself to look him in the eyes…Those gorgeous, deep, ocean blue eyes that she always found herself drowning in.

"…Cuz, if you're my girl, no one else can have you. I'm selfish that way."

In that moment she knew she didn't have to lie or pretend anymore. She could be honest with him and…with herself.

She nodded shyly but without a trace of doubt in her eyes as she looked at him.

"I do…and…I don't really mind if you're selfish."

He smiled at her, pleased by her response.

"Good,

He leaned in closer, staring into her eyes intensely.

"…because as of tonight…we can't turn back."

Before she could say or do anything else he had lowered his lips to hers, trapping her in another one of his amazing kisses.

The ocean breeze rushed through the limo and over their bodies as he pulled her in closer, his both arms around her and hers around him.

Everything else was insignificant and all she wanted was for this feeling to remain.

* * *

By the time they got back to the hotel it was almost midnight.

Tea reached into her purse, retrieving her key card, blissfully aware of Kaiba standing behind her.

As she finally felt her fingers wrap around the rectangular mold of hard plastic, for a moment she hesitated.

She glanced at the door in front of her, feeling something contracting inside of her chest.

Why was she suddenly feeling this way?

Kaiba saw her hesitate but decided not to intervene.

He watched as she eventually slipped the keycard through the lock, opening the door and stepping inside, tuning to face him once again.

Tea found that for some reason her heart was pounding.

She stared up at him without saying anything.

Kaiba knew right away that she was nervous and he had a good idea why.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to appear as casual as possible so she could relax a bit.

"So are you sure you'll be okay alone?"

Tea stared up at him trying her best to hide how nervous she was having to face him. Feeling the way she felt about him at this point, it was hard keeping it bottled inside.

But she nevertheless, forced herself to smile.

"I'll be fine; you don't have to worry about me so much."

"Oh I forgot, I'm Seto Kaiba so I'm supposed to be a Jerk right?"

She smiled again.

"Right."

He smirked the way he usually did when he was up to no good.

"But what if Seto Kaiba the jerk suddenly became your new boyfriend? Wouldn't he be obligated to worry about you then?"

Tea couldn't help turning bright red in the face.

Actually hearing him put a label on their relationship was somehow prompting a meltdown inside her entire body.

Kaiba noticed her panic attack and reveled in his victory.

When she didn't respond he decided to taunt her about it even more.

Stepping in close, he tilted her chin up with his index finger, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Well, wouldn't he?"

Despite feeling like butter under his touch and piercing gaze she managed to respond.

"….. I guess he would be."

"Good, so I'll worry all I want."

Tea found herself getting lost in the color of his eyes. Were they always this blue?

Her heart was racing and she didn't want the sensation to stop.

When he finally pulled his hand away she felt as if he had busted through all of her walls leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

She pressed her lips together nervously as she put her hand on the doorway, more so to hold herself up than a casual gesture.

"Okay fine, you're entitled to worry about me, but you really don't have to okay. I'll be fine, I promise."

Kaiba nodded, forcing himself to be satisfied.

Leaving her alone was against his better judgment but he decided that it was probably best for the both of them.

Knowing he was used to 'fast relationships', he couldn't be entirely trusting of his own actions if he were to keep her company tonight.

His feelings were too strong and it would be all too easy to give in to weakness; and the last thing he wanted was to make her think he was pressuring her to be intimate with him so soon into their relationship.

So as much as he wanted to stay with her, he knew he couldn't.

"Okay, then… I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"  
Tea nodded with a warm smile.

She was all too aware of the lingering possibility of letting their feelings get the better of them that night but she was glad he didn't seem to be leading them in that direction.

She let him pull her into another loving embrace as he kissed her gently on the lips.

Holding onto him she felt as if she were being swept away by a strong current, taking her far away where no one else could reach her.

They lingered in the kiss as if neither of them wanted to stop, as if saying goodbye just for the night was too much to bear.

But eventually, they finally let go of each other.

"Don't worry; our second date will be better."

Tea felt her face glowing again, despite all of her efforts to contain herself.

She blushed, feeling slightly less embarrassed. As his newly appointed girlfriend, swooning over his words like a silly sixteen year old school girl was expected of her…It simply came along with the title.

She let him stroke the side of her cheek, drowning in the emotion that he invoked with his touch.

She wondered if she could ever describe what it was like staring into his eyes the way she was. If only she could define how terrifying and beautiful it was at the very same time.

Eventually, he stole his fingers away, bidding her another goodnight.

And with the reality of their progression into lovers thick in the air around them, they finally parted ways into their respective hotel rooms, their date finally coming to a close.

* * *

Monday Morning

6:30am

Kaiba had finally started to make some real progress with his report.

He blew out a frustrated breath, lifting the coffee to his lips. He had given up trying to stop thinking about Tea after the hundredth time that morning. Their date last night, although met with an unfortunate speed bump, was in his opinion one of the best dates he'd ever been on. It was the first time he actually enjoyed being in the company of someone else. For some reason, having a conversation with Tea was as easy and uncomplicated as having a cup of coffee. After what she said to him, after she broke down in his arms, he couldn't bear the thought of seeing her cry like that ever again.

Now that he had her all to himself, he could finally show her how he really felt and he was grateful for that.

He took another small sip of his hot coffee, when his cell phone interrupted his train of thought again. Sighing irritable he answered the call.

After spending a few spiraling minutes of listening to his subordinate frantically pleading for his input and initiative, it was clear to him that something had to be done.

"And you're sure you can't stall for any more time?"

…..

He let out a heavy sigh, feeling the pressure weighing heavy on his mind.

"Alright, then I guess it can't be helped."

And with that said he gave his subordinate specific instructions, feeling the regret already starting to eat away at his stomach.

Shutting his phone reluctantly, he finally gave in to the inevitable. He had been trying his hardest to avoid the truth, but it seemed to have caught up with him a little too soon. He had no other choice now but to do what had to be done. As much as he didn't want to he had to take control of this situation now before things got out of hand.

Sighing irritably, he stood up from the table and headed over to the phone in the living room, making the decision he knew he had to.

Hesitating for only a second, he picked up the receiver and dialed the office of hotel management.

* * *

Tea's room

7:00am

Tea was lying in bed, wide awake and staring at the lamp on the night stand.

Her thoughts were saturated, but this time with memories that filled her heart with a new happiness and hope. She had officially become Seto Kaiba's new girlfriend and all in a matter of minutes.

The moment she pleaded with him to rescue her, she knew she had bonded herself to his heart.

And now, they were ready to accept their feelings for each other and take the next step into acting on them.

Her face burned with heat.

Despite her fear of the unknown she decided that it was useless worrying about it.

Her life was now officially changed and all she had to do now was jump in and let the current take her where she needed to be.

She got up out of bed and walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

When she was finished she headed into the small kitchen to fix herself a soothing cup of Earl Grey tea.

Stirring in the sugar, she wondered what was in store for her today.

Should she order some breakfast for Kaiba again? This time maybe they could eat together. They were a couple after all. What better way to start the first day of their new relationship.

She smiled to herself as she reached for the breakfast menu on the counter.

Just then before she could read another line, there was a knock on her door.

Putting the cup and menu down, she made her way through the living room.

She opened the door, smiling when she saw Kaiba standing in the hall.

The sight of him made her forget she was nervous.

He smiled back.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes in the morning."

She blushed as he pulled her into a strong hug.

When they separated, she invited him inside, closing the door behind them.

"How come you're up so early?"

Before she had time to gather her thoughts, her heart sped up in her chest as he cornered her, gently, deliberately pinning her wrist against the door.

He nibbled the side of her neck, forcing her to shut her eyes to the ripples of pleasure he was sending through her entire body.

"I wanted to see you."

He spoke into her neck, his voice raspy, his kisses soft and seductive against her skin.

Her heart was speeding up, finding herself powerless against his iron will.

The torture was like a calculated maneuver, from a villain who knew exactly what he was doing.

He continued his trail of butterfly kisses along her neck, enjoying her scent and the way her skin tasted under his lips. He kept her hands in place against the door, prolonging the sensation they granted each other, claiming her with no restraint or hesitation.

He wanted to erase any doubt left in her mind about what they were to each other; forcing her to concede to the fact that she belonged to him in every sense of the word.

Finally after a few moments, he loosened his grip, allowing her to wrap her arms around him, finding her lips and kissing her at last.

They kissed each other for what seemed like a long time, both of them forgetting everything else.

When they finally stopped, Tea felt as if her head was spinning, completely overloaded with emotion.

As she looked up at him she found that she had somehow lost the ability to speak again.

Looking into her eyes, Kaiba realized for the first time that his body felt considerably lighter, like someone had lifted a great weight off of his shoulders; allowing him the pleasure of breathing deeply again.

He knew then that he had made the right decision. Tea was always the breath of fresh air that he needed and now that she was his, he had no intention of letting her slip away from him.

Tea smiled up at him, her butterflies running amuck inside her stomach.

"How can a workaholic be so good at kissing?"

He shrugged casually, not even trying to hide his inflated ego.

"Maybe it's because I'm good at everything."

Tea narrowed her eyes, playfully.

"…hmm, or …maybe somebody had too many opportunities to practice."

"Once or twice maybe."

"Yea I bet."

"Hmm…what's this, do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

She blushed.

"I'm not."

"Good, because, in case you need me to remind you, you're the only one I'll be kissing from now on so there's no need to be."

He flashed her a sexy, self-assured smile, giving her pulse a jump start into overdrive.

She smiled, feeling flattered and doing a terrible job hiding it.

With one last peck on her cheek, he followed her into the kitchen.

Tea retrieved the menu from the counter, her heart still pounding heavily, trying to get a grip on her new reality.

"Um, I was just about to order breakfast…anything in mind?"

Kaiba leaned against the counter, looking apprehensive.

"Well actually, we can't…"

Tea frowned, looking perplexed.

"Really? Why? Have you already eaten?"

She watched as he ran his hand through his hair, trying not to think about how sexy he looked doing it.

"…Well, it looks like we'll be leaving the island much earlier than I initially anticipated."

She noticed the worried expression on his face and knew exactly why he was.

"…Oh, okay."

"I'm supposed to be back at Kaiba Corp for a meeting tonight, so I already scheduled us to leave this morning….but…. I'm not exactly sure how I'm gonna break it to Mokuba just yet."

The news hit her like a slap in the face and it took her a few seconds to realize what he was saying.

She bit her lip pensively, feeling the reality slowly sinking in.

She hadn't expected them to be leaving so soon. The news somehow weighed heavy on her heart. But she forced herself to hide how she felt, not wanting Kaiba to feel any worse about his difficult decision.

"Well…It is out of your hands after all, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Tea was glad that his expression softened a bit.

She continued, wanting to be as supportive as she could.

"If you want, I can tell him for you."

"No, it's fine, I should be the one to let him know, I'm the one who broke the promise to him after all."

She nodded, knowing that he was probably right.

Taking a sip of her tea, she continued.

"So when exactly do we leave?"

"In an hour, so maybe it would be a good idea to get your stuff together right now."

She nodded obediently, still considerably disappointed about their untimely departure.

"Okay."

She replaced her cup on the counter, her heart speeding up again as he approached her.

He spoke quietly as he deliberately gazed into her eyes.

"Don't worry, when we get back, I'll be able to schedule some alone time with you."

He let his fingers gently brush the side of her cheek, his eyes locked on hers.

"…If that's alright of course."

She nodded shyly, placing her hand over his as he stroked her face.

"…I'd… like that a lot."

He smiled at her, enjoying the way she quivered under his touch.

"Okay, I'll go talk to Mokuba, so meet us downstairs in half an hour when you're finished packing."

Tea nodded again, feeling overwhelmed by his tendency to take charge.

Stealing another kiss, he finally saw himself out of her room, leaving her standing in the kitchen feeling light headed.

For a few moments, she stared at nothing, finding it hard to believe that this was even happening.

So this was what it felt like to be Seto Kaiba's girlfriend.

The feeling was hallucinogenic and unbelievable, as if she were floating on the line between dreams and reality.

How could one man have so much influence on people….on her.

Forcing herself to snap out of it, she hurriedly headed into the bedroom.

She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

* * *

Ocean View Main Entrance Beach Front

45 Minutes Later…

* * *

Tea stood silently next to Kaiba with her suitcase in both hands as they all waited for the jeep to take them back to the dock.

Mokuba was looking a bit disappointed but not enough for him to stay mad at his brother.

She was glad everything turned out okay in the end.

As they stood outside the hotel looking at the beach, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

They're vacation was actually over, and although she came to the island with so much doubt and apprehension, she had somehow grown attached to it.

So much has happened in the little time they spent here, it somehow felt as if they'd been there much longer than they actually were.

It was almost sad having to leave so soon.

She spared a glimpse at Kaiba, who had just now slipped his hand around hers, so inconspicuous she barely had time to react.

She smiled as they finally saw the jeep approaching them from the far end of the beach front.

Mokuba peered out into the blazing sun, sheltering his eyes with his hand.

"Well. Looks like this is it guys, time to say goodbye."

Kaiba scoffed.

"Say goodbye to what? We're leaving an island Mokuba, not a person."

Mokuba sighed, as Tea tried not to giggle.

Same old Kaiba.

As the jeep came to a stop in front of them, they loaded their bags into the trunk and started piling into the back seat.

Tea noticed a number of girls gawking at them from the pool, still trying to murder her with their nasty stares.

She was guessing they noticed the fact that she and Kaiba were holding hands and weren't too happy about it.

She decided that she was just going to have to live with the blind hatred from now on. A price every girl would inevitably have to pay for being on the arm of the most infamous CEO in Japan.

As they finally settled into their seats, she took one last glimpse of the vast hotel, feeling a tug in her heart as they drove off toward the ocean.

* * *

Ocean View VIP Runway Strip

.

The Kaiba Corp private jet was already waiting for them by the time they exited the boat at the entrance dock.

They made their way to the runway strip, two hotel assistants carrying their luggage behind them.

As they neared the Jet, Tea noticed the same gentleman who had greeted them on their arrival, hurrying toward them with a broad smile on his face.

"Good day Mr Kaiba, we're so sorry to see you and yours leave so suddenly, but I suppose an important man like yourself would have other obligations."

Kaiba, as always, merely stared at him blankly, not bothering to bat an eyelid.

The gentleman whose name Tea didn't know seemed unfazed by his impoliteness.

"I trust your stay was comfortable with us?"

Mokuba decided to intervene on behalf of his brother who seemed to be running out of patience.

"Uh, yes sir, we enjoyed our stay very much."

He beamed up at the young man, who seemed immensely pleased at his comment.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that Mokuba."

Only then did he seem to notice how dangerously Kaiba was glaring at him.

He quickly cleared his throat as he gestured toward the Jet.

"Yes, well, I 'll not keep you waiting any longer…We hope to be graced with your presence again Mr Kaiba, Have a safe trip back to Japan."

And with his closing statement he granted them entry, walking swiftly back to the small booth at the side of the runway.

The two hotel assistants followed them to the jet, offloading their luggage inside before leaving.

Kaiba looked at his watch as he reached into his pocket, retrieving his cellphone.

Tea and Mokuba watched as he engaged in another detailed phone call to Kaiba Corp.

"Well, at least he managed to get a little rest while he was here."

Tea saw the worried look on Mokuba's face again.

She placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulders, smiling sympathetically.

"Don't worry so much ok, he'll be just fine, you'll see."

Mokuba smiled at her.

"And I take it things went well last night between you two?"

He nudged her in the side playfully, hinting at something else.

Tea couldn't help turning red.

"I… guess you could say that…"

He smiled broadly, looking immensely pleased.

"Geez, finally, took you two long enough."

Tea giggled; amused that he figured it out so easily.

"Would you two hurry up already!"

They both looked at Kaiba who was standing on the jetliner steps, shutting his phone and looking impatient.

Mokuba rubbed the back of his head.

"Whoops sorry big brother, we'll be right there."

* * *

The Jet ride lasted a couple of long uneventful hours. Tea and Mokuba were forced to enjoy each other's company alone, as Kaiba was mostly preoccupied with his cellphone and Laptop for the better half of the trip.

Tea didn't mind of course, he did have a lot of responsibilities resting on his shoulders after all and a girl like her wasn't one to be selfish.

Finally, they were able to see the Kaiba mansion in full view for the first time in a whole week.

No more sand, ocean, coconut trees or sun tanned money bags with legs anywhere in sight.

Only the nostalgic expanse of reality: hitting them hard with the fact that they were back to civilization.

Back to the city and all the drama and problems they left behind with it.

Their vacation was finally over, cut prematurely by work and obligation.

Tea sighed quietly to herself as they landed behind the mansion; only now realizing just how much she was going to miss the Ocean View Hotel.

They all exited the Jet, three of Kaiba's security staff unloading all of their luggage in the process.

Tea took her lone, 'heavier than she intended it to be' suitcase from the stack, before they could carry the rest to the mansion.

She stood next to both Kaibas, feeling indecisive and a bit awkward, not knowing what she should do next.

Kaiba noticed her dilemma at once.

He turned to Mokuba, resting his hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"You can head back to the mansion ok; I need to go to the office for a little while. I'll be back after my meeting."

Mokuba smiled, understanding completely.

"Sure thing big brother."

He turned to Tea, beaming at her as per usual.

"Tea, why don't you come inside, you've never been inside our mansion before, how about I show you around."

His invitation made her flinch.

Inside the Kaiba Mansion?

For some reason the thought of stepping inside Kaiba's not so humble abode, made her insides turn to Jelly.

Only then did it occur to her.

Now that she and Kaiba were dating, would it be ok to go back to how her life used to be before all of this?

Her mind started to spin all of a sudden.

Before she could respond however, Kaiba intervened.

"She can't right now, she's coming with me to Kaiba Corp."

Tea looked at him perplexed, but decided not to question him.

"Oh, ok, then I'll see both of you later then."

Without another word, he waved them goodbye as he ran back to the mansion through the large courtyard, looking more energetic than usual.

Tea waited as Kaiba phoned his limo driver, ordering him to pick them up at the back entrance.

Tea willed her butterflies away as she looked at him.

Before she could say anything he intervened.

"So, where do we put that thing?"

He gestured at her suitcase.

"…At your place…or mine?"

Her eyes widened at his proposal.

"… What do you mean?"

Kaiba shrugged casually.

"Exactly what I said."

He waited for her to respond.

After a few seconds of looking cute and confused, she finally managed to respond.

"..I hope you're not suggesting…that I…move in with you and Mokuba."

"Why not? It's not like we don't have room for you."

Her head was spinning too much to even notice or admire him flexing his ego in her face.

"…But….don't you think, it's a little too soon to move in together…I mean…we only started dating yesterday."

Kaiba realized that he was enjoying himself again. Seeing her get all worked up was always way too much fun.

"I'm not asking you to move in with me, Just to stay at the mansion for a while."

Tea folded her arms.

"And how is that not the same thing again?"

Kaiba took pleasure in humoring her.

"In case you haven't realized yet, a mansion is just another word for 'a really big house'. You can stay in one of the guestrooms; just think of it as having a bigger, better apartment without the rent."

Tea opened her mouth to protest, but ended up closing it again, realizing that he actually made a good point.

"….. But, I …"

He sighed.

"You won't be moving into the master bedroom with me if that's what you're afraid of…"

He paused, pretending to be pensive.

" ….. Unless of course … you want to…. then I'm sure we can work something out."

She couldn't help blushing.

"Would you stop joking around… this is a big deal for me."

Kaiba could tell she was having a hard time deciding.

She stared at the ground, looking worried, as if she were actually thinking about the possibility.

Seeing her so distraught over it, made him a little more empathetic toward her dilemma.

He sighed, as the limo finally drove to a stop beside them.

"Okay fine, I'll let you off the hook for now okay. We can talk about this later. "

She smiled, feeling defeated but relieved that he was willing to give her a chance to think about it.

She nodded, already feeling the pressure starting to build.

They drove to Tea's old apartment building first, so that she could drop her suitcase off, before heading to the office.

* * *

On the way there, Kaiba explained that he would need some help preparing for his meeting later that night, hence the reason he needed her to go with him to the office so suddenly.

Tea, although a bit exhausted from the long Jet ride back to Japan, was more than happy to help lighten his workload, even if it was Just a little.

Finally, they made it to her Apartment Building...

* * *

Kaiba lugged Tea's suitcase into her now seemingly, smaller than ever living room, placing it with ease onto the couch.

He folded his arms, once again inspecting her apartment with, she assumed, more scrutiny than he did the first time he stepped foot in it.

She pressed her lips together nervously, her back against the door, waiting for him to say something.

After a moment he looked at her.

"Are you sure you're okay staying here on your own?"

"…Yea, Its okay…you don't have to worry, I mean I've been here long enough already…"

He walked over to her, making her swallow hard, his intimidating nature ever Omni- present.

"Yea, but, you aren't alone anymore, and I don't like the idea of you being so far away from me, in a city where I can't always be there to protect you."

She couldn't help feeling touched, his concern for her warming her heart.

She responded in a soft voice so she could put his mind at ease.

"I understand how you feel, but, you have to let me live my own life…at least for now okay. Even if I'm here, we can still see each other as often as we like. You know…the way normal people do it. It's not quite the crisis situation you imagine."

Kaiba listened intently to every word, completely impressed with her courage to lay it all out for him like that.

He paused, his arms still folded, contemplating her words.

She smiled, feeling more relaxed.

"..Besides, aren't you still my boss, we'll practically see each other every day."

He sighed, finally giving into his defeat.

"Okay fine, have it your way then…"

He moved in closer to her, touching her cheek.

"…But the moment you get tired of living here, you know where I'll be."

She nodded, too mesmerized by his deep beautiful eyes to say anything.

He drew her into a kiss, the reality of their relationship more real to them now.

After a short moment and before they lost track of time, he pulled his lips away so that they could head back down to the limo that was waiting for them downstairs.

* * *

Kaiba Corp

6:30 pm

* * *

Tea plopped herself onto the leather sofa in Kaiba's Office, completely worn out by the sight of all the new files stacked on the floor in front of her.

She groaned childishly as she put her hand on her forehead as if she was ready to pass out from a fever.

"…I can't believe how much work this is!How the heck do you do this every day? Are you some kind of Special Edition Robot?"

Kaiba smiled to himself but kept his eyes on the screen of his computer, enjoying her tantrum a little more than he should.

"Hmm, I'll definitely have to look into that possibility now that you mention it."

Tea sighed as she slumped down over the top layer of folders.

Kaiba tore his eyes away from the report he was working on to look at her.

"Come on; don't tell me you're wimping out on me already."

She forced herself to sit up, a stubborn pout on her face as she looked back at him.

"I'm sorry…I don't mean to be a pain…"

"You're not, if you weren't here to help me, I would've probably pulled all of my hair out by now."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe."

"Guess that goes against your special edition robot theory, huh."

She smiled, feeling silly for even bringing that up.

Kaiba saw the weary look in her eyes and empathized. She had been working diligently at his side for hours, helping him wherever she could without a single complaint.

Because of her, he was able to get everything done ahead of schedule and even had time to edit his final report.

She was so unlike any other girl or person that he'd ever known and he felt a great deal of gratitude for having met her.

If he could, he would drop everything right now and steal her away to somewhere they could be alone.

He wanted to get to know her so much more.

But he knew responsibility always came first. It was something both of them understood.

He stood up from his seat and made his way over to her, sitting on the couch.

He stared at the ground for a few moments, before looking at her.

He closed his hand over hers, causing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry. This isn't how I wanted to spend our first day together."

Tea shook her head.

"There's nothing to be sorry about okay."

She smiled.

"I'm just glad I could help out."

Kaiba felt her words tugging at his heart strings again. How could she possibly be so perfect?

Tea felt her heart beating heavily in her chest as she gazed into his eyes.

Kaiba gazed back, feeling everything else fading into the background.

His meeting with Sky Net wasn't for another two hours.

He made a mental note in his head as he leaned closer to her on the couch.

At that moment, he couldn't seem to focus on anything else; all he wanted was to claim her lips again.

Tea managed to pull back slightly despite being caught completely off guard.

She protested softly, her worried eyes scanning around them and looking nervously at the door.

"Wait . . . what if someone sees us?"

He smiled, enjoying the effect he was having on her.

"It's late, there's no one here but you and me."

She felt him pulling her closer, her pulse speeding up in the process.

"Besides, I'm the boss remember. I can bend the rules whenever I want."

He inched his lips closer to hers as she felt her apprehension slowly melting away.

Finally he captivated her in a passionate Kiss.

He knew better than anyone that office romances were against company policy and that eventually someone would notice what was going on between them, but somehow at this point he didn't really give a damn.

Everyone would just have to deal with the fact that he had fallen for his secretary, and fallen considerably hard too.

He would deal with the exposure when the occasion called for it.

But for now, all he wanted was keep her locked away, far from everyone else, far from all of her troubles and safe in his arms where she needed to be.

Tea felt her body becoming light and weightless in his embrace and she felt all of her worry vanishing with the taste of his lips.

She allowed herself to give in, her back against the couch, him leaning over her; kissing her passionately and without holding anything back.

She felt her entire body heating up, not caring about anything else. All she wanted was to stay in this feeling, to keep this beautiful warmth that only Kaiba's touch could ignite within her body.

Within the confinement of his office she felt isolated from the rest of the world. As if he had stolen her away into a realm of his own creation.

As he kissed her, Kaiba felt all of her emotion pouring out of her, as if she wanted him to feel what she was feeling in her heart.

Eventually he ended their kiss, staring back into her eyes.

"I'll make this up to you, okay."

Tea smiled warmly, shaking her head again, putting her hand against his face in an affectionate way.

"I told you there's nothing to make up to me, I'm fine, we have all the time in the world to spend together…"

Kaiba listened to her intently, her eyes on his, her words reaching somewhere deep inside him.

" .. . This meeting is important, and it wouldn't be fair for me to intervene. So please don't think you're hurting me by being here okay. It's not like that at all."

Kaiba stared back into her eyes, trying to come to terms with the unfamiliar emotions she seemed to be unraveling inside of his heart.

"You better be careful, or you're gonna make me crazy about you."

She blushed, pressing her lips together nervously.

"And we wouldn't want that would we."

He smiled, amused by her sarcasm.

Looking at the time, he finally rose from the couch.

"Okay, tell you what, I'll finish up here on my own and I'll have someone take you back to your apartment."

Tea looked up at him with worry in her eyes.

"Wait, are you sure?"

"We've covered most of the hard stuff already, don't worry, I can handle the rest from here."

For Kaiba, dealing with ridiculously heavy loads of work was something he had gotten used to. But, judging by the wary look on Tea's Face, he knew she was only pushing herself further than she would like to admit.

He cared about her way too much to let her run herself down any more than she already had.

Tea starred up at him feeling apprehensive.

Kaiba sighed as he took her by the hand and pulled her to her feet.

"You've done enough already Tea, go home and get some rest okay. Boss's orders."

She smiled, knowing she couldn't argue with him even if she wanted to.

"Okay, if you insist Mr. Kaiba"

She reached for her purse lying on the couch.

Kaiba phoned his limo driver immediately, instructing him to wait for Tea in the parking lot downstairs.

When he put his phone back into his pocket, she stepped in closer to him, much to his surprise.

She tip toed so that she could reach him better, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Hope everything goes well with your meeting, call me when you're done okay, I'll be up late unpacking."

Kaiba nodded, feeling those unfamiliar feelings again.

"I will."

She smiled sweetly at him as she bid him goodnight, leaving him alone in his office staring at the door.

This was the first time he'd felt this close to a girl in this entire life.

He walked over to his desk, feeling energized despite all the work he still had to do.

If this was what a real relationship felt like, he could definitely get used to it, no problem.

* * *

Tea's Apartment

* * *

Tea smiled to herself as she finally put the last of her clothes neatly away.

She pushed her now empty suitcase back into her small closet, feeling exhausted.

She had already taken a long, well deserved shower and stuffed her cheeks full of the delicious chocolate chip cookies, that Mokuba had given to her on the Jet a few hours ago.

She sat heavily on the edge of the bed, sighing with relief, feeling contented with all of her work.

She glanced at the clock on her night stand.

It was 11:30 pm.

Her cell phone lay on the bed next to her.

Pressing her lips together she picked it up, scrolling through her list of contacts.

Finally she stopped at the number she was looking for.

'Kaiba cell'

She blushed to herself.

She and Kaiba had already exchanged numbers within the first few weeks of her becoming his Secretary.

Back then it was simply a formality so that he could keep in contact with her if he ever needed her to get something done.

But now, things were different.

She blushed some more as she stared at the number.

Her heart, she noticed, had become considerably lighter in her chest.

And her gratitude knew no bounds.

It was as if someone painted a new life over the one she had grown so accustomed to.

Somehow her future didn't look as dark and unappealing as it did a few months ago.

She scrolled through her list of numbers again, stopping at another name which immediately grabbed her attention.

'Miss Reyuna'

Seeing her dance instructor's name made her chest swell with an unexpected wave of excitement.

Was it really possible to hope again? To go back to dancing, even after she turned her back on the possibility?

According to Miss Reyuna, the new Audition was only one month away and as much as she tried, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about being on stage again.

She would have to make a decision soon.

But something told her, she already knew what that decision was.

She breathed in deeply, everything crashing into her mind all at once.

Suddenly, without warning, someone else's face flashed across her memory.

A pang of sorrow rang through body her immediately.

Yami.

It was all because of him, she had given up on dancing and ever finding true love again.

And even through all of the pain he forced her to endure; she still couldn't find it in her heart to hate him.

But now, someone new had taken his place inside of her heart.

Seto Kaiba had become her savior and the man she could confide in.

Her feelings for him far out- weighed the heavy sadness she carried inside for her ex-lover.

So now all she had to do was find the courage to finally turn away from him once and for all.

In that moment she decided.

No matter how apprehensive or scared she was to take the first step, she was going to embrace her new life.

Her past was dead and gone and it was time to accept her new reality with open arms and no more hesitation.

Just then her cell phone went off in her hand, startling her.

She smiled, glad to see Kaiba's name flashing across the screen.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she brought the phone to her ear, eager to hear the reassuring sound of his voice on the other line, and knowing their relationship was only just beginning.

She wasn't alone anymore, he had rescued her …. and now she was finally ready; Ready to move on and accept him wholeheartedly into her brand new life.


	22. Closer

Chapter Twenty Two:

Closer

* * *

Tea sighed deeply, smiling to herself as she stepped out onto the windy sidewalk.

She stood in front of a tall glass building, clutching a seemingly important letter sized envelope between her both hands.

She looked up at the clouds drifting lazily above her, feeling the excitement flooding her heart.

This was really happening, she had finally done it!

It took her a while to make a decision, but luckily, she was able to find the strength to venture beyond all of her trepidation and self-doubt.

Her courage lifted her spirits and she clung to the happiness she was feeling with every fiber of her being.

Looking back, she would've never predicted that such a day would come knocking on her doorstep again.

Her body was light and she felt as if she could float away.

But reality suddenly kicked into full gear as she glimpsed at her watch, only then realizing that she would be late if she didn't hurry.

* * *

Tea stared out the car window, enjoying the way the city started to come to life with the warmth of the evening sunlight.

Two weeks had passed by since she and Kaiba officially started dating.

And now she was on her way to meet him at the same quiet restaurant they had managed to discover about a week ago when they had their second date.

Kaiba had been for the most part pretty preoccupied with work for the better half of the past two weeks, having had the pressure of mending the Kaiba Corp contract with one of their biggest clients.

But now, much to her relief, all the red tape and drama was supposedly over and he finally had the time to spend with her.

They had gotten considerably close over the past two weeks, and through it all, miraculously as it seemed, she finally managed to come to terms with reality.

* * *

As the car came to a stop in front of the cozy looking restaurant, she smiled, feeling the welcomed rush of seeing her boyfriend's handsome face again.

"Thanks Roland."

She waved to her newly appointed chauffer, who Kaiba insisted take her anywhere she needed to be.

He smiled back, nodding politely before driving away.

As she stepped onto the pavement, she realized that she was still holding the envelope in her hand. Smiling to herself again, she tucked it safely away inside her purse.

Smoothing the ripples in her skirt and tucking her hair neatly behind her ear, she made her way inside the restaurant.

As she stepped into the entrance hall, she was immediately greeted at the door by one of the attendants.

"Good Afternoon, Miss, please let me take your coat."

Tea nodded politely, still not entirely used to the royal treatment.

The young man, who in Tea's opinion, had perfect posture, gestured for her to follow him, after draping her lilac jacket over his forearm.

The lighting inside the restaurant was romantically dim and the soft Latin music accentuated the mood.

Finally he led her to the dining area.

After visually scanning the room, she finally spotted the man she had been longing to see all day.

Kaiba was sitting at the table next to the large glass window in the corner of the room, looking gorgeous against the scattered city lights beside him.

She smiled to herself in admiration as she indicated to the young attendant that she had spotted her date.

She breathed in deeply, attempting to calm the butterflies in her stomach, walking slowly toward the table.

As she approached, Kaiba's eyes finally met hers as he spotted her walking toward him.

His expression softened immediately as he stood up from his seat to welcome her.

She smiled back at him as she stepped into his waiting arms, hugging him tightly, feeling him do the same, allowing him to greet her with a light kiss on the lips, before separating from her.

She forced herself not to blush, but knew it was probably futile to hope for such a thing.

"Hi, sorry I'm late."

Her voice was soft and tender as she spoke to him, smiling brightly.

"You're not, l only got here five minutes ago."

"Oh, okay, Good, I was worried you might be waiting long."

They both took a seat, across from one another at the small but elegant table for two.

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, admiring how beautiful she looked and how her good mood radiated off of her skin.

He decided to get straight to business.

"Okay… so first things first….."

He stared back at her intensely.

"…How did it go?"

Tea looked back at him, trying not to let her expression betray her excitement.

Kaiba waited patiently, enjoying the way she held him in suspense.

Finally she smiled, ready to respond.

"Well….basically…"

She pressed her lips together pausing for just a second.

Kaiba couldn't help smiling, knowing by the look on her face that good news was about to spill from her lips, but he waited patiently, not wanting to ruin her moment.

He watched as she smiled back at him knowingly.

"…I made it just in time."

Kaiba smiled at her, feeling relieved, glad to see her so happy.

"Not that there was any doubt in my mind but, congratulations."

She breathed out heavily, taking a sip from the glass of water on the table.

"Thanks, I was so nervous; I didn't even realize how much l wanted this."

Kaiba studied her eyes as she spoke to him. They sparkled with every emotion she felt at that moment, and it warmed his heart to see her so genuinely happy.

He couldn't be more grateful for the chance to finally spend some quality time with her.

The entire mess at work was finally over, and everything was back to normal.

Now, he could finally focus on the girl sitting in front of him. She deserved all the attention in the world and he intended to give her just that.

"So when do you start?"

He took a small sip of water himself.

"Well, the first audition is only two weeks away but Miss Reyuna was able to pull some strings, so she enrolled me under the second, which gives me another month to get ready, I start on Monday."

Kaiba nodded, sharing in her excitement.

She looked at him feeling so happy she felt her body would burst from the pressure.

"So I guess this means, I won't be your Boss anymore."

"Well, not necessarily, I can always take my classes part time and…"

Kaiba sighed hopelessly.

"You're not taking your classes part time okay."

Tea opened her month to protest.

"But…"

"No Buts, the Audition is only a few weeks away; you need to be ready for it."

Kaiba kept his eyes on hers sternly, so she could understand his resolve.

Tea bit her lip nervously, nodding without complaint, knowing he was right.

"Okay."

She hesitated before going an.

"But… if I won't be working, what am I gonna do about my living expenses?"

"Hmm, that's a good question, if only you were dating someone filthy rich, life just isn't fair sometimes huh."

She laughed quietly.

"No, l didn't mean it like that, I Just…"

Kaiba breathed out heavily, reaching for her hand across the table.

"Tea, I know we only just started out but, I need you to realize that it's ok to depend on me to take care of you."

Tea stared into his eyes, realizing that he was being sincere.

For some reason the moment made her stomach feel all tied up in knots.

She had to literally force her voice to work again.

"I know, and I'm sorry, I'm Just so used to fending for myself."

"I know you are, but it's alright now, I'm here to make sure you're okay remember?"

She nodded; her face warm from blushing.

He let go of her hand, as the waiter approached their table.

They ordered their choices before continuing their conversation.

"You know, things would be a whole lot simpler if you just take me up on my offer and come stay with us at the mansion."

Tea stared at the table, looking pensive.

Kaiba knew staying at the mansion with him and Mokuba was a really big deal for her so he didn't want to put any undue pressure on her shoulders.

He waited patiently for her response.

When she couldn't seem to give him a plausible answer he intervened.

"Guess you still need time to think about it."

She pressed her lips together, nodding, still feeling indecisive.

Kaiba shrugged casually, knowing what had to be done.

"Okay, well, in that case, I'll take full charge of your living expenses for the duration of your classes. We can deal with everything else later on ok."

"…Okay"

Tea was glad Kaiba was able to take charge at times when she obviously couldn't.

As the evening went on they ate in each other's company, enjoying the time they had to spend with each other.

Kaiba found himself at times getting drawn into her eyes as she spoke to him.

Somehow the sound of her voice was making him wish there weren't so many people around them.

He wanted her all to himself.

Because of his busy schedule over the past two weeks, he hadn't been able to find many opportunities to be alone with her.

But now that he had finally managed to clear things up at work, he had every intention to make up for lost time.

And for some reason he didn't like the fact that they were surrounded by so many people.

He made a mental note in his head to rectify that problem as soon as possible.

* * *

After they had their full they both headed outside to Kaiba's car which was parked out back.

* * *

"So where to next?"

Tea frowned, watching him as he opened the door.

"You mean you're actually free the entire night?"

He shrugged dismissively.

"Yea, like I said, everything's pretty much cleared up so I kind of put everything off until tomorrow, so I can spend more time with you."

Tea blushed as they both got into the car, admiring the way Kaiba never hesitated to say exactly what was on his mind.

As she settled into the front seat, she pulled her seat belt on and waited for Kaiba to start the engine.

When he did, he looked at her.

Unexpectedly, he leaned in closer, claiming her lips without apology or hesitation, jolting her pulse into overdrive.

She allowed herself to enjoy the feel of him, the taste of him. After such a long day, the feel of his lips against hers was heavenly.

She closed her eyes, letting the sensation take over.

When he finally stopped she stared into his deep blue eyes; the same eyes that could somehow blanket her entire body in a sea of warmth.

He spoke to her quietly, so personal and direct it made her weak in the knees.

"How about I take you to the mansion? Since we have the time tonight, I could finally give you the grand tour."

Tea felt her stomach tighten against all the sensations channeling through her body, willing herself to remain calm.

She found her voice among her scattered thoughts, responding shyly and equally soft.

"..Sure….that would be nice."

She smiled as he nodded.

"Okay, Kaiba mansion it is then."

For some reason Tea felt her stomach muscles stiffen even more.

She had never been inside Kaiba's mansion before. All of his work kept him busy over the past two weeks, so they hadn't found the time.

But now, he was finally inviting her into his home, his place of solitude…his world.

The thought of being alone with him at his mansion, scared her.

She had no idea what to expect of him and the uncertainty made her anxious...

* * *

As they drove through the parking lot and into the city streets, Tea's worry descended into the deep corners of her mind, her focus on Kaiba and all the looming possibilities that were starting to crop into her imagination.

Kaiba noticed her mood shift and he speculated over what the reason could be.

But he found he already knew…

She was scared to be alone with him.

For some reason, the sentiment made him immensely curious...

If curious was even the right word.

Questions silently scattered his mind.

Questions he never had the time to ponder in detail before.

What would she be like now that they were lovers and there was nothing separating them from their passion for one another?

How will she react? Or even more importantly…how would he?

The questions made his curiosity sizzle but he decided that it was useless trying to find any answers to them now…after all…

All the answers he needed were only a few minutes away...

He could be patient just a little while longer...

* * *

Finally, after a few minutes of driving through the city, the Kaiba mansion was in full view at last.

They drove straight into the wide, gated entrance and down the spacious driveway.

Tea stared out the window, the sunset almost completely gone, the sky a deep orange, enough to illuminate the beautiful driveway bordered on both sides by a well-kept healthy looking lawn.

They continued driving until finally making a U-turn straight into Kaiba's private garage at the side of the large mansion.

Once inside, tea noticed that there where an assortment of other expensive looking vehicles lined up against the wall, many of which she never even saw him use before.

Her heart was still pounding as he drove to a stop and parked next to a silver Mercedes Benz.

He switched the engine off, and she nervously followed suit as he exited the vehicle.

Tea kept close by his side as she let him lead the way to the elevator ahead of them, which she assumed would take them upstairs.

She took the time to look around.

Inside his garage was spotless and shiny and every one of his cars was pristine and polished to perfection.

She tried to count how many cars were lined up against the wall but gave up after stopping at nine, distracted by Kaiba, who led them inside the elevator before she could continue.

Just how loaded was he anyway?

As the elevator doors closed however, all other thoughts vanished into empty space as the only thing she could focus on was the fact that she and Kaiba were about to be completely and utterly alone.

Kaiba could sense the tension in her body, but he kept his resolve not to say anything about it, not wanting to add any undue heaviness to her already well burdened shoulders.

Finally the doors parted and they both emerged onto the ground floor.

Kaiba took her by the hand and led her through the corridor.

Tea felt her face flush at the feel of his strong hand around hers.

But she followed him silently and without protest, masking her silly excitement as best as she could as they finally stepped into the grand hall.

Tea's eyes widened at the sight of it all; the vast white ceiling, the glossy floors, the exuberant walls, the intricate oil paintings, the shimmering chandelier hanging at the centre of the room and just about everything else that seemed to have been ripped right out of a fortune 500 article.

It was more breathtaking than she ever could have imagined.

She stood there gawking, much to Kaiba's amusement.

He kept hold of her hand as he led her through the massive hall.

"Well, what do you think? Does it meet your over exaggerated expectations?"

All she could do was nod, still staring like an estranged alien from another planet.

"It's so beautiful…I can't believe you actually live here."

Kaiba watched her indulge, amused by her reaction.

"Yep, this is where I lure all my unsuspecting victims."

She smiled as she continued to take it all in.

"Hmm, is that what I am too? An unsuspecting victim?"

"Only if you want to be."

Somehow his tone made her insides cringe.

There was something dangerously suggestive in the way he said it.

She quietly cleared her throat, forcing herself to move on and pretend his words had no effect on her.

"So, um…"

She stepped in further into the room, as he let go of her hand, gazing up at the chandelier.

"…where's Mokuba?...I haven't seen him since the day before."

"He's staying at a friend's house from school, something about a history project, but he should be back tomorrow night."

"…Oh, I see."

For some reason, the fact that Mokuba wasn't there to take some of the pressure off made her want to bail.

But she knew she wasn't being entirely honest with herself.

In truth, she was actually glad for the opportunity to spend time with Kaiba; she couldn't deny that she wanted to be closer to him.

But she was no stranger to what couples usually ended up doing when presented with the opportunity to be alone.

So as not to spontaneously combust at the very thought, she forced herself to stop thinking so hard.

Instead she tried to focus on enjoying his company and getting to know him better.

Everything else would eventually fall into place, whether she drove herself crazy about it or not.

Before she could think any further, she felt his hand around hers again.

"Come on, let me show you around."

Smiling, she nodded, following his lead.

* * *

As they maneuvered through the large mansion, it didn't take long for Tea to realize how quiet it seemed. All of the rooms were large and elaborate and way more beautiful and luxurious than any other she'd ever stepped foot in, yet it felt as if something was missing. The entire house seemed way too big for only two people. She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy toward Kaiba.

She wondered if anyone ever told him how incredibly amazing he was. Judging by everything she knew about him, probably not.

Her knowledge of his past was sketchy and he rarely ever talked about his childhood, but she knew that he was forced to grow up much faster than any regular kid his age; and for that reason, he naturally generated a wall of ice around his heart.

But she knew now that everything he ever did was simply to protect his baby brother from the world around them. Her heart swelled inside her chest, feeling grateful that they became what they are now.

He needed someone to be there for him, and she was more than willing to take on the responsibility.

* * *

Finally, after a few minutes, they came to a halt at the last stop on the list. Apparently Kaiba kept the master bedroom for last.

"And…here….we have, my room."

Tea stared at the large mahogany door, feeling her throat contracting.

But she nevertheless managed to smile.

"Ok."

He turned the knob and opened the door for her.

He watched as she rather cautiously walked into his bedroom, looking around as though she were stepping into dangerous unknown territory.

He smiled feeling amused, and knowing exactly what was going through her mind.

He closed the door behind them standing behind her as she oogled his room.

The entire room was gigantic, but in her opinion, still extremely cozy.

"So are you just gonna stand there?"

He stood behind her with his arms folded.

For some reason her body felt frozen, like she could feel the full weight of the situation getting the better of her.

"Oh sorry."

She walked further into the room, still as cautious as ever.

This was the first time since they became a couple that she and Kaiba were completely alone like this.

She had no idea it would be this frightening.

And the fact that they were actually standing in his bedroom didn't really help either.

Kaiba walked further into the fully air conditioned room, trying to rack his brain for a way to put her mind at ease. He knew she was nervous and he needed to find a way to make her relax.

Despite all of her fear, she took the time to marvel at everything around them.

"Wow…your room is even bigger than I imagined.'

"It's ok I guess, I'm hardly ever in here so…it really doesn't matter to me."

She watched as he walked further into the room, removing his watch, putting it on the large dresser in the corner.

She felt her pulse racing a bit.

It was going to take some time to get used to being alone with him like this.

Kaiba saw how tense she was and decided to make it easier on her.

He approached her, gently gripping her by her upper arms.

"Hey, you ok?"

She nodded, trying desperately not to turn red in the face.

'Yeah.'

"If you're uncomfortable here, we can…"

"No, its ok, I'm fine…really."

He seemed satisfied with her answer.

"Okay, then can you stop looking so terrified?"

This time she couldn't stop herself, her face glowed bright red with embarrassment.

"I'll try."

He smiled at her.

'Fair enough."

He kept his eyes locked on hers, feeling his emotion growing.

"I'm glad I could finally have you all to myself."

Tea had to swallow hard, so she could regain her ability to speak.

She whispered back, in a quiet voice.

"…So am I."

She gazed up into his deep ocean blue eyes feeling as if she was being swept away by a strong current.

Kaiba felt his natural instinct starting to take over as he stared down at her.

He was used to having his way with women.

He was used to skipping all the chit chat and getting straight to the point.

But this time, his instincts were somehow working against him.

This time, things were different.

This time there were actual feelings involved.

As pathetic as it sounded, the truth was still there…looming over him.

He had never been in a situation like this before.

Not even once.

What was he supposed to do?

He wanted her so badly, but not just physically.

He felt his indecision threatening to tear his mind to shreds.

Forcing himself to get a grip, he decided that the best course of action would be to put some distance between them.

He knew his body would eventually start to react on its own if he didn't.

And it was pretty obvious by now that she was scared enough as it is.

He decided that being too forward with her would ultimately work against him.

He forced himself to let go of her, swallowing the lump in his throat, as he tried to ignore how dangerously beautiful she looked staring up at him.

Underestimating her effect on him was definitely not a good idea.

Tea watched as he stepped away from her, feeling a breath of relief flow through her body.

Why was she so nervous?

She had feelings for him, he had feelings for her, they were a couple for God's sake.

Get a grip…

She watched as he retreated to his huge walk in closet.

"Well, don't just stand there, if you're staying, at least _try_ to get comfortable."

She was semi grateful that she couldn't see him from where she was standing and vice versa.

"Ok."

In an attempt to calm down she stepped out of her sandals, placing it neatly at the corner of the door.

Maybe if she forced her body to react normally, her emotions would follow suit and she could hopefully start to feel more at ease.

The carpet under her bare feet felt soft and comfortable and she could feel her body slowly letting go of the tension, just as she had hoped.

She cautiously removed her jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to her shoes.

Hugging her arms, and taking the time to settle in, she used her time alone to admire Kaiba's room.

It was neat and organized, just as he was.

She noticed a rack of CDs in the left corner next to a huge stereo system.

She smiled as she dared to walk over to it.

Somehow she couldn't picture Kaiba listening to music. Do workaholics actually have leisure time?

She decided she was just being silly.

Of course they did, they were human beings like everyone else weren't they?

She ran her fingers over the CDs, finding that she recognized most of them.

Just as she had predicted…

Rock and Heavy Metal.

* * *

Kaiba changed out of his dress shirt and jacket, wondering what would be the most appropriate thing to wear.

Having a serious girlfriend was definitely harder than he thought.

After only seconds of deliberating he decided to simply change into a regular white T-shirt and slacks.

When he emerged from the closet he smiled to himself as he saw Tea going through his CD collection.

When she saw him, she willed herself not to turn red.

"Sorry, I just really like music."  
"Go right ahead, I can't even remember the last time I actually listened to those."

"You actually go out and purchase these?"

"Well, Mokuba usually gets them for me, for birthdays and stuff; I only bought a few of them myself."

Tea smiled feeling all warm inside.

"Really?"  
Kaiba saw the disbelief in her eyes and couldn't help his amusement.

"Is that so hard to believe? I'm beginning to get the impression that you really do think I'm a robot."  
Tea couldn't help laughing.

"Back in high school, maybe, but not anymore."

"So I take it you never even noticed that I actually had a soft spot for you back then."

Tea's eyes widened, as she looked at him, feeling silly for feeling so enthralled by his words.

"What was that? Did I here you right?"  
Kaiba knew very well that he had dug himself into a hole he could never climb out of again.

But for some reason he didn't really give a damn.

He was having way too much fun, seeing her squirm.

"So you're telling me you never noticed, not even once? I mean its' not like I wanted you to, but sometimes I made it pretty obvious."

Tea looked like she was digging into the deep corners of her memories.

"Yea but, I always thought it was only cuz I'm a girl."

Kaiba scoffed.

"Gender has no effect on me; if I wanted to tell you off, I would have."

Tea stared at him for a while, like she couldn't wrap her head around the revelation.

"…But we barely even talked in high school."

"I always thought there was something different about you that I couldn't put my finger on…and to be honest, the fact that I felt that way annoyed the heck out of me."

Tea smiled, completely forgetting about the CD in her hand.

"Wow, I never even realized."

"But…"

She watched as he approached her, taking the forgotten CD out of her hands and replacing it on the rack.

"You were the geek squad cheerleader, so I just pretended to ignore you like the rest of them."

Tea couldn't help feeling like butter under his gaze.

She spoke in a quiet voice, trying in vain to hide her infatuation.

"So why are you telling me this now?"

"Cuz I'm glad my instincts were right about you."

Tea smiled up at him, feeling flattered and touched by his words.

Kaiba could see the vulnerability in her eyes and he had to force himself not to take advantage of it.

He kissed her lightly on the lips, knowing if he did anything more, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from being a naughty boy.

"Ok, so how about I let you be the boss tonight, we do whatever you want from this moment on."

"Oh really?"

"Just think of it as my way of saying thanks for tolerating my over booked schedule for the past two weeks."  
Tea smiled brightly, completely impressed.

"Ok, hmmm…."

She put her index finger to her lips, pretending to be pensive, looking cute as ever.

"How about….we do something really cliché, like watch a movie together."

Kaiba couldn't help his amusement.

He shrugged casually, keeping his promise.

"…Okay, a cliché night it is…"

Tea was glad he left the decisions to her.

She needed to avoid, thinking about other possibilities as best as she could, despite the fact that it stood over them like a rain cloud waiting to burst.

* * *

Sure enough, Kaiba managed to find a channel suitable for them. There was a marathon of Hitchcock movies running all night, back to back. Remembering that Tea was into the scary stuff, he couldn't have asked for anything better.

* * *

As the night progressed, Tea had somehow found the courage to sit next to Kaiba on his huge King sized bed, as they indulged in the popcorn he ordered brought up to his room.

They conversed easily over everything and Tea found that she was starting to really enjoy being around her new boyfriend.

The more she talked to him, the more she started to realize that, inside his heart, he was actually nothing at all like his public image.

He was just a regular guy, who was even more caring than most.

She found herself falling even deeper into her web of infatuation.

* * *

Finally the first movie was over, and they were left with the ending credits.

And somehow, the cloud descended itself over them again.

Tea decided to plunge them into conversation, in an attempt to keep her butterflies at bay.

"Okay, that was …actually really good. I haven't seen that one before."

Kaiba placed his hands behind his head, leaning against the bed head.

"And you were expecting something that's not? It's Hitchcock; even I know his stuff's the best, unlike the bullshit they pass off as horror flicks nowadays."

She smiled popping the last bit of popcorn into her mouth.

"You're right, how silly of me."

As their attention was no longer on the TV in front of them, Kaiba found that he was starting to gravitate towards her.

Like all he wanted was to be closer, to get inside her head.

"So…what now, do you want me to take you home…or… do you want to stay a little bit longer?'

Tea met his eyes reluctantly, panic building in her stomach.

"Um…I…can probably stay a little longer…I mean, I don't have to work tomorrow."

"Okay.'

She smiled playfully.

"Unless of course you were planning on kicking me out already."

Kaiba kept his eyes on her, knowing he wouldn't be able to contain himself for very much longer.

He sat up and leaned over to her, ignoring the way she retreated in surprise.

He slipped his hand over her face, his eyes intent on hers.

"If it were up to me, I'd never let you leave."

Tea felt her pulse jolt, her heart speeding up; feeling something coming over her, like her body had taken on a mind of its own.

She closed her eyes as he brought his lips to hers.

Kaiba let the sensation of her soft, warm lips envelop him, feeling all of her emotion pouring out of her once again.

He felt her lay back into the soft pillow as he kissed her, feeling her slip her fingers into his hair; a habit of hers he had come to grow immensely fond of.

Slowly, he slipped his hand over the side of her waist, holding her in place, as he caressed her lips with his own.

Tea felt her heart slamming hard against her chest, feeling his kiss become more passionate, more engaging, unlike any other kiss they ever shared before.

In that moment she felt her own feelings for him expanding inside her.

As she kissed him back, her senses were infused with passion; his taste, his scent, the feel of his powerful hands on her skin, the feel of his body heat mingling with her own; everything about him threatened to engulf every inch of her sanity.

Her pulse sped up even more as she suddenly realized what was happening and she knew she was in danger of losing herself completely…

All she could think about was Seto Kaiba and the way he made her blood combust into liquid fire like no other man could.

She wanted him….

She wanted him so badly….

But was she really ready for this?

Yet despite all of the hesitation in her mind, her thoughts were somehow cut off from the rest of body as she felt herself reacting to his touch even more.

She dug her other hand into the front of his T-shirt, gently pulling him down closer, letting him know she didn't want him to stop.

Her reaction only seemed to make him want her even more, drawing himself closer, his upper body leaning over hers, his tongue probing deeper into her mouth, keeping her captivated by his kiss.

Tea felt herself becoming powerless to his advances as he slid his hand under her blouse, his fingers caressing her soft skin, and gliding across her torso and navel, sending ripples of pleasure through her stomach.

This was the first time since they became lovers that he touched her this way.

She felt herself slowly surrendering to him, feeling sedated by the feel of his hands on her body.

In that moment it felt as if everything else had fallen away. He had occupied every solitary space within the corners of her mind and she could think of nothing else.

Kaiba reveled in the feel of her skin, wanting more, needing to have more of her in every way possible.

At the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't risk acting on impulse, he knew he had to be careful with her, that she was still fragile and hurting inside…

But somehow, as he indulged in the feel of her kiss, he couldn't bring himself to stop.

He had wanted her for so long, maybe even longer than he realized.

And now she was finally here, in his arms, under his spell, captivated, just as he always craved she would be.

She had broken into his world without warning and now the desire was too great. He needed her to be his, every inch of her.

He threw caution to the wind, not being able to contain himself any longer.

He slid his hand slowly up her stomach, enjoying the way her body trembled under his touch.

He let his hands splay over her smooth skin stopping as his fingers lightly brushed against the edges of her bra.

Tea felt her body start to yearn for more, but her fear kept her at bay.

Kaiba was unlike anything she could ever imagine. She felt her entire being surrendering to him, like he had somehow stolen every ounce of control and she was powerless to do anything else but comply to his every will.

Kaiba could feel the muscles in her body become tense and he knew how nervous she must be.

But the fact that she was, excited him and it made him want to explore more of her, if only to see how she would react to his touch, to make her surrender even more.

He slid his hand up further, finally sliding it over her bra, feeling the soft swell of her subtle breasts through the delicate fabric, squeezing ever so gently.

He felt her moan into his mouth as he did, the sound muffled by his kiss, igniting his anticipation, enjoying the control he held over her senses.

He felt her entwine her fingers in his hair more urgently, his gesture having exactly the effect he wanted it too.

At this point Tea felt a familiar warmth spreading through her entire body, practically feeling herself pleading for more.

But the question reared its head again…preventing her from losing her senses completely.

Was she really ready for this?...Was this the right time?...

The fear and panic inside her chest made her fall back to earth, the gravity of the situation slamming hard against her.

Yet despite her apprehension her body wouldn't listen. She forced herself to keep calm, shutting her eyes tight against her anxiety and keeping her lips locked on his, as they kissed, hoping that she could somehow mask how scared she was.

For reasons unknown, she had always tried to avoid thinking about the inevitable.

But the taste of his lips and feel of his hands on her body made it impossible for her not to.

Whether she was too scared to think about it or not, she knew that sooner or later she would eventually have to face the issue of having sex with him.

The thought was somehow too much for her brain to take in all at once.

She felt him touching her so intimately, deliberately driving her sanity away from her.

He kissed her deeply, over powering and seductive, knowing exactly where he wanted to take her senses.

Kaiba felt her body become tenser, her delicate flesh under his fingers, driving him further into his desire to have her.

Her hesitation only served to heighten his interest and he showed no sign of stopping.

At this point, he knew that his control had almost slumped to zero, and he wasn't exactly worried that it was.

His feelings only grew inside him with every quiver of her body.

Tea's heart was racing, feeling a mixture of fear and excitement simultaneously overwhelming every inch of her.

He pulled his lips away, trailing his kisses instead along the nape of her neck, needing to taste her body.

He felt her, remove her fingers from his hair, digging them instead into the muscles of his upper back, feeling the intensity of their feelings grow with every passing second.

He removed his hand from under her blouse, gently grabbing hold of her legs, gliding his hand along the length of her smooth skin, her skirt lifting simultaneously as a result.

He heard her suck in a breath as he continued kissing her neck, his hand coming to a stop at her hips, finally feeling his palm slip over the sides of her lacey underwear, the thin fabric only serving as a means to heighten his impending desire.

Keeping his hand there he felt the strong temptation to go even further threatening to overcome him. Yet despite the desire in his body to claim her and allow his simmering lust to take over completely, he knew he couldn't go on, without her full consent.

He hesitantly stopped his kisses, pulling his lips away slightly, resolving finally to look her in the eyes before continuing.

She reluctantly stared back, too scared to say anything, as the reality of what they were about to do, lingered between them.

Kaiba, wanted her more badly than he let it show and it was difficult to stop himself in the midst of his passion, but his feelings for her far outweighed his physical desire. He wanted to be sure that she was okay, that it was okay for him to go on…to make love to her like he needed to so badly.

He spoke to her in a low voice.

'You okay?"

Tea nodded slowly, her eyes reflecting her fear.

Kaiba noticed the reluctance in her expression and as much as it excited him, he knew he couldn't do anything else without her permission.

He asked again.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

Tea kept her voice barely over a whisper as she held onto him, her heart still pounding.

She hesitated, her worry showing in her eyes as she looked at him.

"…I….I want to…but…."

Kaiba gave her time to say what she needed to.

Finally she told him the truth, her voice soft and trembling.

"I'm sorry but…I just…think…maybe it's a little too soon for me."

Kaiba stared into her eyes, seeing how nervous she was, knowing he could never find it in himself to make her do something she wasn't ready for.

He paused, easily slipping his hand to her waist, letting it rest there reassuringly, his eyes never leaving hers, keeping his voice sturdy and equally quiet.

"There's no need to apologize, It's okay, we don't have to do this tonight….whenever you're ready."

He felt her body start to relax as he stroked her soft skin with his thumb.

She nodded shyly.

"Okay."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment longer, each accessing the other.

Kaiba forced himself to swallow his own desires, trying to ignore the fact that he was still very much turned on, by the mere fact that she was actually lying in his bed, looking up at him.

Tea struggled to calm herself as well, trying to come to terms with what 'almost' happened.

Despite how nervous she still was, she managed to smile at him.

She gazed into his eyes, whispering softly.

"…Thanks for understanding….Sorry I'm such a dork."

Kaiba couldn't help smiling admiring how cute she looked.

"I told you its ok, stop apologizing, besides …."

Tea noticed the devilish silver glint in his blue eyes, feeling something intense pierce her senses.

"….Delaying the inevitable only makes it all the better."

His voice made her insides turn to mush, and she stared at him in silence, her face flushed.

She felt her heart racing, unable to keep herself from turning red.

Even as she smiled, she felt her voice tremble as she whispered back.

"…You… sound like quite the expert."

He kept his blue eyes intent upon hers, the assuredness in his face never faltering.

"...When the time comes, I'll leave that verdict to you."

She found herself unable to look away, staring at him, feeling the heat creeping into her face and through her entire body, her imagination drifting into territory yet to be explored.

His words aroused her more than she anticipated they would.

Her mind wandered to questions she had been too much of a coward to ponder before.

"…Um…Could you _not_ say things like that…I think I'm nervous enough already."

"Whoops, sorry."

The playful glint in his eyes conveyed that he wasn't, and that he had meant in every way, to stir her curiosity exactly as he did.

A curiosity that made her wonder…

She couldn't help blushing, smiling at him shyly, not knowing what to say.

Finally, she broke their eye contact, looking away, hoping the skin on her face didn't burn off with all the heat seeping through it.

Kaiba reveled in her reluctance to look him in the eye.

This was the reaction he wanted.

Curiosity, in this case, was very good indeed.

He knew she was scared, but he also knew that she wanted him just as badly as he did her.

A hurdle he had a hunch they would unavoidably cross very soon.

He gently slipped his hand along the side of her face, forcing her to look at him again.

"… Tell me what I have to do to make you unafraid to open up to me..."

His fingers caressed her skin, his gaze intense

"…don't you think I'm entitled to know what's going on inside that head of yours?"

Tea felt herself becoming vulnerable as she stared up into his eyes.

It was as if he could see into her very soul.

She knew then that she had to be honest with him. No matter how apprehensive she was to open up.

No matter how hard it was.

She had to tell him what bothered her the most; the thing she was most scared of.

Building her courage she allowed her voice to escape her lips.

"…I know this might…sound a bit…silly to you …and I know its impractical to ask for such a thing but, I think I just need to hear it ok…"

He nodded, giving her time to continue, seeing her emotion drifting through her eyes as she looked at him.

"…you have to promise you won't …hurt me…"

She paused.

"…I don't think …my heart can handle being torn apart again."

Kaiba could feel her sincerity and her fear, seeping into his body from her words and he knew exactly what she meant, what she needed him to say.

He kept his eyes on hers, so she could see the honesty in them, honesty that she craved so badly.

"I'll never hurt you that way Tea, I promise."

She gazed into his eyes, getting lost in his sincerity, believing his words with all her heart.

He gazed back at her, feeling them growing closer, a bond developing between them, unspoken and strong.

He lowered his mouth to hers again, kissing her deeply, feeling her respond immediately; like his promise was sealed shut in the unison of their lips. He delighted in the feel of her, captivating all of her emotion. Finally, he drew away before he could be lured into the point of no return again, kissing her lightly on the forehead as she closed her eyes against the warmth of the moment they shared.

This was the first time, Kaiba ever felt so deeply for someone and for the first time he knew he wasn't afraid of it anymore. He was satisfied, knowing it was only a matter of time before they surrender completely to their passion for one another.

Until then, he would be patient with her.

Knowing she belonged to him was already more than enough.

* * *

Monday Morning

7:45am

* * *

Tea stepped into the large open dance studio for the first time in a year.

The atmosphere was exactly as she remembered.

There were a few girls already there, doing warm ups and routine stretches.

She stepped in cautiously as she felt all of their eyes slowly start to focus on her….The new comer.

She nodded politely, smiling a warm smile, acknowledging them with a certain confidence she had somehow reclaimed over the past few days.

"Hi."

She adjusted the strap of her gym bag over her shoulder, as one the girls, who seemed a bit more friendly than the others approached her.

"Hey, you're the new kid right?"

Tea smiled back.

"Yea."

"…Cool, I'm Rayne, nice to meet you."

"Tea Gardner, it's nice to meet you too."

Tea felt herself becoming more relaxed in her presence. She had a feeling the two of them would get along just fine.

For the next few minutes Rayne took it upon herself to introduce her to the rest of the class.

Besides Tea and Rayne there were ten other dancers; all of which were competing for the chance to graduate into their respective school of choice.

After getting herself acquainted, Tea noticed that most of the girls had already signed on to Julliard and there were only two other girls vouching for Kiryu, like herself.

Tea was glad Rayne was one of them.

"So, how many spots are there?"  
Rayne sat next to her on the bench, as she loosened her ankle joints with both hands.

"About five. You might think that's good odds but there are like seven other schools competing along with us….so yea, the competitions kinda stiff."

Tea smiled as she tied her hair into a high pony tail.

"Oh I see."

Rayne smiled warmly at her, resting her hand on her shoulder.

"But don't worry, Miss Rey is one of the best…we'll get in for sure…both of us."

Tea smiled back feeling her sincerity.

She nodded, as the sound of the door closing stole their attention.

Miss Reyuna walked into the room, all smiles and as poised and graceful as ever, her long flowing black hair accentuating her elegant beauty.

"Good day, girls."

Tea smiled as their eyes finally met.

"Oh my, Tea…."

She smiled back, looking over joyed.

"I'm so glad to see you this morning. I hope you're ready to work extra hard…you have a lot of catching up to do.'

Tea nodded.

"Yes Miss Reyuna, I'm ready."

"Splendid…"

She gestured for everyone to listen intently.

"Class…this is miss Tea Gardner, and she'll be joining us from today."

Tea smiled as everyone greeted her with warm smiles of their own once again.

She felt welcomed, and she delighted in the feeling as she prepared herself for the hard work ahead of her.

* * *

Afternoon

6:30pm

* * *

Tea smiled as Kaiba pulled up at the front of the building.

She felt her cheeks involuntarily turning red as she approached the car.

Settling into the front seat she was greeted by a warm kiss on the lips, sending her heart summersaulting yet again.

When they drove off, Kaiba lowered the volume of the music down so they could talk.

"Well, how was your first day?"

Tea smiled broadly, the events of the day spilling into her memory.

"It was great! Everyone's really nice and I got to work on my new routine for the audition."

Kaiba nodded; glad he could be the one she confided in.

His heart hadn't felt this light in such a long time, and he knew he had no one but Tea to thank for it.

He took pleasure in driving her to her apartment, contented that their relationship was only just beginning.

* * *

7:15 pm

* * *

Miss Reyuna pulled her keys out of the locked door, finally closing up for the night after having completed some extra paperwork for the schools administration.

As she put her keys into her purse, she was startled by a young man, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. At first she couldn't see his face, but as her eyes adjusted to the light, she was able to recognize him right away.

He smiled at her.

"Closing up for the night?"

Letting her shoulders drop in relief, she smiled back.

"Oh, you startled me."

"Sorry, I was just passing by so I just thought I'd say Goodnight."

He paused before continuing.

"…So, did everything go ok?"

Miss Reyuna nodded, looking pleased.

"Yup, I'll make all the arrangements, don't you worry. And just for the record, I think it's a wonderful idea."

Her comment sparked a smile from him and he blew out a breath of relief.

"Okay, then it's settled, and thanks, this means a lot."

"It's not a problem dear, think nothing of it."

The young man nodded politely as he bid farewell, turning toward his car.

"Good night Miss Reyuna."

She smiled as she headed in the opposite direction, toward her own vehicle which was parked along the sidewalk a few feet away.

"Good night Yami, It was nice seeing you again."


End file.
